More than Mrs Potter
by Joy1
Summary: If Harry can make it through 7th year without letting other people break Ginny & he up things will go just fine, but how can things be fine with Draco always around. HG, RH, & DOC Sequel to Summer of Discovery, Unwilling Damsel COMPLETE
1. School's in session

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: PLEASE READ: Okay folks...this is the last installment of the Unwilling Damsel universe. If you haven't read the other two (An unwilling damsel and Summer of discovery) I hope the prologue fills you in on most of the important points. If you get confused you can go back to read the other two. An unwilling damsel is about the process by which Ginny and Harry became good friends and started to date. It also deals with an assault on Ginny her fifth year. Summer of Discovery is about Ginny and Harry's relationship over the summer and how it changes. A lot of it deals with the after effects of Ginny's assault and how that affects their physical relationship. More than Mrs. Potter is going to deal primarily in the trials that come in a relationship over time and how other people strain a relationship.

So there was background.

Now important points to know:

1.Sirius, Lily, and James are all still dead. However they can speak to Harry through the photos he has of them.

2.There are no sliding staircases.

3.There are other mystical rooms in the castle other than the Room of Requirement.

4.Anything inappropriate for the masses will be posted on my live journal link that can be found in my author's profile

Now...on with the show

More than Mrs. Potter

Prologue: The end of summer and the beginning of the end

Harry Potter's life had always been complicated. He was born under the prophecy of greatness. His family died to protect him. His guardians treated him like a freak to be locked away. He discovered his true nature along with it the future that he would face. Blessed as he was with greatness, cursed he was with the pain of injury and loss of those he loves.

Harry was given Hermione and Ron at the beginning of his time at Hogwarts to aid him throughout his time at school that he might be supported. He did not know the extent to which their friendship would take them. Nor did he know when he met little Ginny Weasley at the train station at eleven that he was meeting the single most important person in his life.

Ginny Weasley was the strongest girl Harry ever met. Time and time again she proved herself a survivor. After all, she was the youngest of the Weasley clan with six older brothers...that is no small feat. Surviving possession by the dark lord for an extended period of time was nothing short of a miracle. Of course it was Ginny's survival and recovery of an assault by a male student Harry's sixth year that had ultimately drawn his attention and admiration. Months of friendship followed by courtship during his sixth year became the foundation of their relationship. This period had brought many things to pass such as Hermione and Ron had begun a romantic relationship and Snape actually being helpful and more over nice to both Ginny and Harry.

The summer between was littered with misunderstanding, argument, out and out fights along with emotional separation. At the same time, it was one of the most fruitful periods of renewal they could ask for. Much of their relationship was negotiated during this period. It was also the time Ginny worked the most diligently on the intimacy issues her assault left behind. On the other side of that summer Ginny and Harry were stronger than ever with much love and respect between them.

Voldemort had remained mainly quiet Harry's sixth year and following summer, which only caused all those who knew the truth of his reemergence to be on guard for what was to come. It also gave Dumbledore reason to attempt to solidify Ginny's belief that she was important in the grand scheme of things.

Dumbledore had to acknowledge the ways he had fail Harry in his life and accept that though Harry may still come to him for some things, he had effectively lost the boy's trust almost entirely. Ginny became one of three students Dumbledore set to work on a special project for him. One student it would hopefully protect once all hell broke loose. One student it would bind to others in an unfamiliar environment. And one student it would give purpose to so when years past and she looked back on her life she would know she was more than Mrs. Potter.

1.School's in session

The train was all a flurry with students when the trio followed after Ginny. Harry had been made Head boy and Hermione Head girl. This was good news for both couples since it gave them a great deal of much needed privacy throughout the year. The prefects and Head Boy/Girl all had bigger compartments on the train. The trio settled all four of their belongings while Ginny and her over-packed knapsack moved into the prefect section to see her friends.

Ginny had aged and matured nicely over the summer. Most people didn't recognize her. Harry, Hermione and Ron had been present the whole summer so they didn't notice any drastic changes. However Ginny had gained a bit of height, her hair had been cut before school to be roughly shoulder length and darkened magically, her body became more womanly with hips, lips, and breasts becoming fuller. Overall it wasn't surprising that while standing in the hall with a baby doll t-shirt that Harry had purchased for her that read, SLEEPING BEAUTY, and pair of fitted jeans the male population noticed and didn't recognize her.

One such young man was Draco Malfoy, who had himself undergone some changes over the summer. His white blond hair seemed to have lost its hard, slick look. His manner was more subdued. But mostly his cockiness did not come out to play. It would not be until later that his classmates found just how heavily a weight was on his shoulders.

Draco observed a guy knock Ginny's book-bag purposely off her shoulder to see her bend over. Harry came to the door and was going to exit but watched the exchange surreptitiously. Draco bent down and retrieved the bag. "Here you go. I'm afraid a pretty girl like you is going to have to deal with guys fawning over you in inappropriate ways." Ginny stared at him a moment. "Oh I'm sorry. I'm Draco...Draco Malfoy. I guess you must be a transfer? Perhaps Hope?"

Harry bit his lip attempting not to laugh, waiting for Gin to rip into Malfoy only to find she held her tongue a moment. He had a good view of both faces.

"Thank you Draco," she said slowly. "I'm not Hope... I have gone to school here since I was eleven."

Draco looked confused a moment but recognition filled his eyes. It was then Ginny extended the olive branch having recognized a basic change in him. "We don't have to be mean to each other."

Draco blinked for a moment, "I suppose not, Ginevra." There was a peace that settled upon them, as well as an attraction in Harry's opinion. That was disconcerting enough, but Draco addressing Ginny as Ginevra freaked Harry out. It was not his place to interfere so he did not. He did however stand too long with the door open for Ron's taste.

"What's going on mate?" Ron asked pushing through the door. One look down the hall and the fireball was there in front of his sister. "What do you want Malfoy?"

"Ron," Ginny said gently. "It's fine. Leave it. We were talking...He's done nothing."

"Of course not..." Ron said rudely. "He has some brains to know better than to mess with Harry Potter's girlfriend, let alone a Weasley...without his entourage to back him up."

Draco ignored Ron and tilted his head toward Ginny in confusion. "I thought you broke up at the end of last year? You..." The fact that Malfoy had been paying attention to the gossip unsettled Harry. It meant he had probably liked Gin before now.

"No...no...Still going strong," Ron said snidely cutting off the rest of Draco's statement. "He spent the whole summer with us romancing the socks off her."

"Ron...stop. Leave Draco be," Ginny commanded looking at the blond sympathetically.

Harry and Hermione moved forward but Harry went to one side. Whatever this was, it was Ginny's to deal with. It didn't help his ego that Ginny was not shutting Malfoy down but it helped that Ron was in the Ferret's face.

Hermione was trying to lead Ginny away, but she wouldn't be moved. Draco was doing really well at not rising to Ron's baits. Eventually Ron just smirked at the guy he saw as his arch nemesis. "Ain't it awful to know Harry beat you here too."

"RON! I am NOT a trophy!" Gin screamed but Hermione and Ron just pulled her away. Gin looked over her shoulder at the depressed looking fair-haired boy and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

Harry had held his tongue until then. That one statement marked the first time ever Ginny didn't relish the proprietary nature of their relationship. It had been a running joke between them that he should be tattooed 'Property of Ginevra Weasley' and that she should be tattooed 'Property of Harry Potter.' That one statement so unnerved Harry that he couldn't let it slide so he got right in Malfoy's face and growled, "But I'm not... Stay away from what's mine!"

Draco cocked his head, "I doubt Ginevra would take kindly to being spoken of in such a manner."

"She likes it just fine."

The 'slimy git' chuckled, "Scared Potter?"

"Not of you. Not ever," the raven-haired boy said assuredly.

Malfoy smirked, "Oh I think you are. I think you are worried your _darling_ will come running to me...especially when you get all absorbed and neglectful... _like at the end of last year._"

"What are you on about Malfoy?" the Gryffindor asked.

"Why don't you ask your _darling_ about why I thought you two were broken up? It might prove enlightening," the Slytherin hissed.

"Whatever...what I think is my _darling_, as you so elegantly put it, will try to be nice to you and you will take advantage of that...and then I will have to sell tickets as she kicks your ass," Harry offered.

Draco gave a wry chuckle. "You ought not to speak in such a way. Ginevra and I have an understanding shall we say. Do you really think a Malfoy and a Weasley could just spontaneously form a peace pact in the middle of the hall of the train on the way back to Hogwarts?" Harry thought it was unlikely. "No...Potter this has been a long time coming... but you wouldn't know anything about that since you were so distant the last month of school last year. You wouldn't know anything about _our_ relationship." And with those words Draco ducked into his compartment leaving a very frazzled Harry alone in the hall.

TBC...

Can you see where this is going? Huh? Huh? Can ya?

Well if, dear fans, you want me to post this in rapid fashion as before you will have to meet my demands... well one demand. REVIEW. PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE! I have been struggling with this story for months!

I need the encouragement...so REVIEW.

Thank you.


	2. Confronting the truth

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. Let me assure everyone this is still a Harry/ Ginny fanfiction. This is not a Draco/ Ginny story. There will be VERY rough places for our favorite couple but you will have to trust me. Also the chapters maybe short but there are several of them and most of them are already written.

2.The confrontation for the truth

Harry entered his compartment in a serious mood. "All right there, Harry?" Ron asked. "That slimy git hex you or something?"

"No," he said firmly. "Could you leave us for a bit?" Harry asked eyeing his girlfriend who looked really nervous suddenly.

Hermione looked back and forth between the two then grabbed Ron's arm. "Sure. We'll make rounds."

Harry stood ominously over Ginny who stared fixedly out the window. "Did you cheat on me?" he asked plainly.

Ginny looked at him horrified, "What?"

"Did you cheat on me? I think it's a fair question when I listen to a guy I thought you couldn't stand call you Ginevra several times, you make a peace treaty with him, defend him to your brother, and he believes in all honesty that you and I were broken up."

Ginny swallowed but faced Harry head on, "I didn't cheat on you. I just know a few things you don't by virtue of Dumbledore. Draco and I started talking the end of the year. We agreed to owl over the summer secretly because both of our families would have had a fit...you would have had a fit. We agreed at the beginning of the year we would talk, and see if we felt that our friendship or whatever would be able to continue...if we wanted it to continue. He wasn't a jerk or cocky or rude so I offered. That is what you saw."

Harry grit his teeth, "Why did he think we were broken up?"

At that Ginny looked down. "First off, I do my best not to mention the 'trio' because it only leads to arguments. But secondly that...that last month of school...you got so distant. You were always pulling away. I know there are things you aren't telling me...big things. I tried to be okay with it... Dumbledore sort of orchestrated this peace with Draco and I. We talked. He has a lot more to deal with than we give him credit for... Anyway there was one night that was particularly bad with you and I. You practically ran away from me... Draco found me in the hall way crying. He was good to me. Comforted me. Didn't ask any questions or pry. Eventually I just started spilling my guts. I mentioned a few times that I didn't think with the war you could handle dating. That maybe it was time I let you go. He didn't say much, just brought me to Snape. Snape and I talked about making the memory pill from your life. He thought it might make you and I closer. He also assured me you loved me very much and to not give up because you were acting like a teenage boy."

Harry sat quietly thinking over the time line and recognizing he had been a runner for a while there. Draco it seemed had more than his foot in the door...something that galled him, frustrated him, and made him entirely too jealous.

Harry shook his head angrily. He had never envied Malfoy before and wasn't about to start now especially over his girlfriend. "I don't like it...and I really don't care if Dumbledore is involved. You hid this from me because you knew you were doing something wrong."

Harry was glaring at her. Ginny swallowed shallowly, "I did it cause I knew you wouldn't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand... We have problems and you won't talk to me but you'll write to him. That makes no sense. If you want to be with him Ginny then just do it and screw what everyone one else thinks. But if you still want to be with me then I need to know you're in this with me and you don't have some emotional surrogate on the side."

"What are you saying?"

"If you're in a relationship with me its with me. I don't want to know you have a back up boyfriend in the wing for when I screw up."

"You want me to stop being friends with Draco."

"I want to know that it is you and me in this relationship."

"You want me to not be friends with Draco."

They sat in silence for a moment.

Harry looked at his girlfriend carefully, "Ginny, I asked you about all those owls you were getting over the summer. I asked you if that present was something I needed to worry about. You said it wasn't...If he thought we were broken up then there is no reason for him to have thought it wouldn't be received as a romantic gesture... Whether you see it or not you have cheated on me."

"No," Ginny said in horror unwilling to accept what Harry was saying. "It wasn't like that. I wasn't telling him about us. I wasn't unloading on him...we just wrote little notes back and forth about random things. I didn't cheat on you."

"Yes, you did," he said in frustration. "You went to someone else for emotional support when our relationship got rocky...I'm not saying you did anything physical with him but you sure as hell cheated on me emotionally."

Gin swallowed slowly, "I...I'm sorry. I never thought of it that way. You were always the one with my heart Harry...I didn't do it on purpose."

They stared at each other a long time before Ginny whispered, "Are...are you breaking up with me?"

Harry blinked at her like she had lost her mind, "No Gin. I love you. I have told you that. If you tell me it isn't gonna happen anymore than I will believe you."

She nodded, "There is one problem with all this."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Draco is the person I am working with on the project for Dumbledore...I can't not see him." Harry's jaw tightened. Ginny panicked, "But there is going to be a new student added to help us. She is a transfer."

He sighed, "I would prefer you not work with him one on one. I think that's only fair under the circumstances."

"I at least owe him an explanation. I'll go find him." With that Ginny got up from her seat looking pitiful.

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Harry pulled on his cloak and followed to where he knew Draco would be on the train. He saw Ginny speaking gently to him, and his face getting angrier by the minute. Draco's arms flared as he fussed about the situation and then sighed in defeat. He and Ginny both had tears in their eyes before hugging briefly. Ginny told him something sweet because Draco smiled. Harry left when Ginny put her hand on the door handle.

Ron and Hermione were already in the compartment when Harry returned. "What's up mate?" Ron asked.

"Nothing I am ready to talk about. Don't mention to Ginny I wasn't here when you arrived please," Harry muttered quickly.

"Sure," Hermione answered in confusion.

Ginny returned to the seat next to Harry a moment later. "All taken care of?" Harry whispered lightly.

"Yeah...he's not thrilled with the 'no seeing each other or writing' rule I made but he seemed to understand at least a bit. Honestly Harry he was just in it for a real friend...that's all."

Harry nodded at her statement. "Thanks Gin...for...but I didn't ask you to that..."

"I did something that violated your trust. I should have thought it all the way through...I would do anything not to lose you."

With that Harry smiled and took her hand kissing the top of it.

A/N: I don't think Ginny really 'cheated' on Harry but I needed a way to stress the triangle convincingly. Though I don't ever suggest spending a bunch of time someone your partner can't stand while you are fighting.

A/N2: Next chapter you will be introduced to an original character named Hope.

Please give me the encouragement I need by REVIEWing.

So I am begging: Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW.


	3. Hope

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: For those of you that don't like my choice of name or think its over used all I can say is I've never read any Harry/Ginny fic with the name Hope in it. I find it absolutely hysterical that I would be held to some idea that I was supposed to have read everyone else's fanfiction to know that other people had used the same name. Truthfully I love the name Hope... I'm big into the emotion names... Hope, Faith, Joy... oh wait I'm Joy. Anyway, if my choice in character name bothers people, I'm sorry...but I'm not changing it.

3. Hope

The train got set to pull out of the station while students scurried to their compartments. It was so full that a blonde girl came stumbling into the head boy and girl's quarters having been pushed by some passersby. Harry instinctively reached out and caught her fall, being closest to the door. The girl didn't smile or anything.

"You okay?" Harry asked quickly even as a cool sensation spread out through him.

"Yeah thanks... People are awfully happy to be here...rushing around to get to their friends." She spoke with an American accent, still not smiling.

Gin grinned big, having noticed the patch on the girl's knapsack. "Hey. You're American and from the Salem school. Are you Hope?"

"Yeah..." She looked uncomfortable. "I guess you're Ginny."

Ginny smiled as warmly as possible, "Yeah."

"So I will be seeing a lot of you I guess." It became very clear that Hope wasn't very hopeful.

Hermione attempted to be helpful by chiming in, "So...What house do you want to be in?"

"Slytherin, I guess," Hope stated quite melancholy. "That's what my dad was. I'm already a big enough disappointment to him. If I end up anywhere else, my life is going to be hell for the next two years...cause he's a prick like that."

Harry was slightly shocked by her statement. "You...you don't have to end up with those..." he began.

"...Filthy buggers..." Ron grumbled under his breath.

Harry shook his head at Ron, "My godfather came from a family of Slytherins and..."

Piercing blue eyes stared him down, "I am very aware, Harry Potter, all about your godfather. I don't need you to tell me about him! Besides so far I have only met self-righteous Gryffindors."

Ginny stood up, getting between the trio and Hope. "Hey, lets not have a problem. I have a buddy over in Slytherin...He's the 7th year prefect, Draco. Remember? He can make sure you're... insulated... alright?" Gin nodded. Hope nodded back. "Besides the three of us have to work together this year." Hope nodded again.

At this Ginny ushered Hope out of the compartment, before glaring at Ron, then Harry.

"What the hell is that? Did my sister just call Draco Malfoy a 'buddy'?" Ron asked incredulously.

Harry clenched his jaw a bit. "Yeah. She did... Apparently those letters Gin was getting were from Malfoy. Dumbledore's got them working together...he knows all about those books we aren't allowed to know anything about."

"I don't like this," Ron growled.

"Dumbledore must have a reason," Hermione commented.

"It doesn't matter," Harry said dismissively. "She isn't hanging out with him anymore... except for the project."

Hermione stared at Harry, "Are you sure that's wise?"

"It's MALFOY! He's going to hurt her," Harry rationalized.

"Don't let jealousy cloud your vision. Gin wouldn't cheat...You don't want her to regret the loss of a friend or worse resent you for taking him from her," Hermione warned.

"Come on. It's not like I said she couldn't have any guy friends or some bollocks like that. I didn't even throw a fit about them working together. But she hid this from me all summer, knowing it would make me upset..."

Ron sat quietly as Hermione tried to make Harry see her point. "There is something else that's irking you," she muttered.

Harry groaned in frustration, "Ginny was talking to him when she 'couldn't' talk to me." He grit his teeth, "Plus...he sent her this present...something I know means a lot to her. This crystal flower that blooms when she is sad or down. It always makes her feel better... I know he sent it..." Harry paused looking out the window, "I asked her if it was something I needed to worry about. She looked me dead in the eyes and said no." His head snapped back fast. "Bollocks it's not something I should be worried about."

Ron put a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down man."

"I just can't believe she didn't see this as any big deal. I mean how could she not see that she was cheating...that's what I don't understand. I think I am being very reasonable about everything."

"Cheated..." Hermione asked.

"You don't agree?" Harry questioned.

She thought it over. "I don't know Harry. I mean unless the letters were filled with explicit imagery or something physical has happened with them I don't think I would call it cheating."

"She went to him to fulfill her emotional needs when she and I were fighting this summer," he explained.

"I don't know..."

Harry looked at his best guy friend, "If you and Hermione had been having problems over the summer and she was writing Krum but wasn't talking to you, wouldn't you feel betrayed."

"Sure as bleedin' hell I would."

Hermione shook her head, "I just can't see Ginny..."

"She says she didn't see it that way," Harry stated.

"Then mate," Ron began, "take her at her word."

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Harry was beyond rational at the moment with thoughts of Ginny and Draco together in any capacity, "Where is she? It doesn't take this long to deposit an exchange student." He got into the hall and busted into the Slytherin compartment to find his wayward girlfriend.

Draco looked up quite amused while Hope appeared down right confused. Harry swallowed and hoped his cover would work, "Hi Hope. I just wanted to apologize for upsetting you earlier. I know you and Ginny will be working together throughout the year and I don't want there to be any awkwardness between us."

"Sure...that's it Potter," Draco snipped causing the confused lines on Hope's face to deepen.

"Malfoy, I wasn't talking to you," Harry glared.

With big fake innocent eyes Draco looked at his nemesis. "But Harry, Ginny and I are going to be working together throughout the year. Don't you want to make sure there is no awkwardness with us?"

"Stuff it Malfoy."

"What's wrong, scar head? Lose the little woman?"

Harry sighed, "No Malfoy, I came to apologize to Hope like I said. Ginny mentioned bringing her here to meet you...I didn't come here looking for Gin and I didn't come looking for a fight."

Draco glared, "Scared."

"We've been over this Draco."

Hope began to soften her expression toward Harry.

"Whatever," the blond growled. "You just can't stand the thought of Ginny running to me when you hurt her."

The raven-haired boy raised his eyebrow, "I was under the impression Malfoy that you were a passer-by. You might have easily been Neville, Colin...hell even Blaise. I know you like to fancy that this friendship you have with Ginny is based on me having screwed up one night, but truthfully you were in the right place at the right time."

Draco clenched his fists tight and grit his teeth.

Harry shook his head; "You are an important friend to Ginny so I don't want to get into this with you."

"Oh...but you want her to stop hanging out with me!" Draco snapped.

Harry attempted to keep his temper, "No Draco, I told her if she wanted to be with you to be with you and screw what everybody else thinks...I did that because I love her and want her happiness. What I told her was if she still wanted to be with me I didn't want to feel like she had a default boyfriend waiting in the wings. It was Ginny's choice what she did. It was Ginny's choice how that would play out. Under the circumstances Malfoy I think I am being more than gracious about this situation."

Hope stood up at that point putting a hand on Draco's arm. The boy immediately calmed at the mere touch of her. Harry noted the oddness of the action. He had felt a similar sensation when he caught her as she fell. He had assumed it was merely relief but at the moment he began to wonder.

Hope continued to rub Draco's arm up and down softly before she faced Harry once again and said, "I accept your apology Harry. I am sorry I overreacted. I am sure I will get to know you better as things continue this year... I imagine Ginny is back from visiting Colin now."

"Thank you," he whispered and moved past them both.

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When Harry arrived back in the hall he leaned his head against the side of the wall. Hope came out quickly and laid a hand on the back of his neck. A cool sensation spread from the location and made him relax. "How do you do that?" he whispered.

"Do what?" she asked.

Harry turned around and stared at her, "You know...the calmly thing..."

She smiled for the first time, "You're the first person to ever know it was me...beside my mother."

He looked at her oddly with a lopsided smile, "Well...what is it?"

Hope shook her head, "I don't rightly know... I do...but I don't... How do you do all the stuff you can do that most people can't? What makes you special? Why are you Harry Potter?"

"I suppose because of my parents and the prophecy."

"Exactly... They are just embedded in who you are for no other reason then your genetic code and a group of old words."

Harry looked her over, "But most of the things I can do at least have names...things I can look up in books to understand...Parseltongue, blood protection, wandless magic."

"Okay then look up what an empath truly is and you'll understand," Hope said cheekily.

"How bout you explain it?"

She smirked like Malfoy suddenly, "I feel what people around me are feeling. I can hear their thoughts a lot of times if their feelings are strong enough...and Occlumency doesn't work with me because I am not magically breaking into someone's mind or using Legilimency. I am merely getting a total impression on their emotional state... The upside and the downside is when I come into physical contact with someone else I drain away their heightened emotions. My father had just embraced me before I got on the train. All of his sorrow, pain, hatred, and inferiority leeched in through that contact. You caught me and you were still upset about things with Ginny."

"But Draco...Draco gained your calm...I just gained your calm."

Hope shrugged, "Sometimes I can push an emotion onto someone rather than take one away...sometimes it just happens. Draco is different though."

"Why?" Harry asked. She looked down and away. "You don't have to tell me but..."

Hope looked directly into Harry's eyes. For however brilliant Harry's green eyes were supposed to be Hope's blue eyes were equally as startling. "I have a thing for Draco. I know it's not smart. I know his reputation. I know he can't necessarily be trusted." She shrugged her shoulders, "But when we wrote back and forth this summer...we connected. I liked writing Ginny too...but with Draco it seemed...more somehow. I am doing my best not to read him. I don't want to violate his trust."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for telling me...here I was thinking all those letters were from Draco only. Ginny insists he just wanted a friend."

Hope smiled, "I think she's right."

TBC...

Now with this new update on Fanfic tomorrow I will hopefully get in another chapter before it takes effect... but you guys have to REVIEW in order for that to be guaranteed.

So come on... I will REVIEW for Joy and tell her what I think of Hope. I will REVIEW for Joy and tell her what I think of Hope... thank you class. Hopefully we will reconvene tomorrow.


	4. The Slytherin situation

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: I will try to explain Hope's magical power as best I can: An EMPATH in this case is an individual that can feel everyone's emotions around them. If the emotions are strong enough she can actually hear their thoughts. Any physical contact between her and other people will leave an emotional impression on her. If people have direct contact with her skin the connection is intensified. Hope does however have the ability to put up 'walls' between herself and others. 'Walls' are like the Legilimency. Hope can also 'push' people; meaning if she is with someone that is tense or angry she can 'push' feelings onto another person...i.e. touching Harry on the neck and calming him down. Where the problem lies is if someone accidentally very upset touches Hope, she tends to actually respond the way that individual would have responded. Read the following chapter and hopefully you will get a better sense of it.

Okay, we are under a new system...let's see how this works.

4. The Slytherin situation

The welcome feast went off without a hitch. Hope was indeed sorted into Slytherin but it appeared to Harry as if she too were asked by the sorting hat where she would like to be placed. Upon hearing the proclamation, Goyle was forced to move the line of students at the Slytherin table down by one to make room for Hope next to Draco. Pansy had never even gotten that treatment...something that she complained about... loudly. Draco let everyone know with subtle ways that Hope was to be treated well...mostly by the fact he actually smiled at her. No one had ever seen that before. While there was no hand holding, kissing, groping, or inappropriate touching going on at all most would believe that Draco Malfoy was actually smitten with a girl.

The 'nicer' Slytherins flocked to Hope. She was their guiding angel. Hope was Dumbledore's proof that Slytherins did not have to be evil. With her happily installed as a 'leader' of sorts in the Slytherin world Pansy had less power and Draco had some support on his new path.

Pansy however did not like this arrangement at all. A rumor was whispered to Pansy by her mother that Hope J. Nigellus...yeah that's right... had one of those odd talents that the Nigellus or Black families were known to possess. One in which if she touched someone with very strong emotions she would actually act on those emotions. Somehow Pansy would find a way to use that to her own advantage... use it to break the bond between Hope and Draco.

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Problems didn't actually begin until classes did. There was an unwritten rule that Hope was off limits due Draco's obvious attraction to her, which suited Hope just fine. What surprised all was the quick bond that formed between Ginny and Hope. Ginny was one of those people that really didn't care what house someone was in...nor did she feel the need to only spend time with Gryffindors. Now by all accounts Hope was Draco's girlfriend so the fact that he permitted his girl to associate with a 'blood traitor' and St. Potter's girlfriend seemed suspicious to some of the die hard Slytherins. However no one questions the Slytherin prince so it all worked...for a little while.

Pansy set her plan in motion after she caught Draco staring at Hope a little too long. Then it happened that they returned together late one night the first week of classes... They were laughing and talking. Pansy could only assume that they were having fun...the way she and Draco used to have fun. Pansy's plan was very simple really...all she had to do was break Draco's trust. Draco didn't know about Hope's little talent, so Pansy could use it against her...and she planned to.

One night when the couple returned from where ever they went Pansy let her controlled emotions boil to the surface...all her anger, hurt, jealousy, and lust. She timed it perfectly. Hope and Draco came through the door laughing together.

"Hello Pansy," Draco said in greeting. Pansy eyed him before she 'slipped' catching Hope by the wrist to steady herself. The direct skin contact heightened the intensity.

"Picking up mum's habits are we Pans?" Draco taunted knowing that Pansy's mother was known for getting tipsy rather easily.

"No, Draco...I just slipped," she growled and made quick work of getting to the stairs to be out of sight but still observe.

After the other Slytherin girl department, Draco turned to Hope who was breathing heavily, and grabbed the wall. "You okay?" he asked as he saw that Hope's normally blue eyes had turned almost black.

"What's it to you? You let that April girl fall all over you. Why would you care about me?" Hope hissed.

"What the hell is that about?" Draco snapped. "I'm not doing anything with April." He didn't like this turn of events at all.

"Right...the Slytherin 'Sex god' must be getting laid some way since I'm not putting out. Oh wait its probably Weaselette...you would love that wouldn't you? That would get back at Potter for everything, wouldn't it?"

He was dumbfounded. Hope had never behaved like this before. "Where is all this jealousy and anger coming from?" Draco asked in a soft tone since there had to be a logical explanation.

"Pansy," Hope panted as her eyes returned to their normal color before his eyes.

"What? What do you mean Pansy?"

"When she grabbed my wrist...I felt everything she was feeling...everything she was thinking. That's what that was."

Draco stepped back from Hope, "Are you telling me you can read people's minds?"

Her face became pained, "Yes, but not always...its more about what they are feeling. I do my best never to read you or Ginny."

"But you have," he snapped.

"Not intentionally," she begged. "But sometimes you would touch my hand at a meal or in the hall when you were really upset about something...I just got an impression of your feelings."

"How could you not tell us? Not tell me?"

She swallowed getting very nervous, "It's not the most normal thing. I was afraid you would look at me like you are right now...like a freak. I didn't really feel like anybody would get it but..."

Draco watched her cut off her words, "No one but Potter right? After all he's saint Potter. He can understand anything...anything but me being friends with his girlfriend."

Hope went to touch him but he pulled his arm away. "Get away from me...I'm not letting you in my head."

"Draco?" she muttered.

"Leave me alone, freak," he snapped and left her standing there alone while Pansy stood smirking out of sight.

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Harry found Hope in the hallway near the dungeons about an hour later crying. "What's the matter Hope?" he asked. "You're crying like you lost your best friend."

"I did," she whimpered.

"What are you talking about?"

Hope's chin quivered. "Pansy was really upset with Draco but didn't say anything...she tripped and grabbed my wrist. Suddenly I became her mouthpiece. I was saying awful things... I told him why it happened and he freaked...especially once he figured out that you knew...that I had told you." She stifled a sob, "He wouldn't let me touch him Harry."

"I'm so sorry," Harry muttered remembering how awful it was when Ginny had nearly ended things between them the same night they got together.

Harry mustered every feeling of compassion, empathy, love, and safety in him before he wrapped his arms around her. He made sure to touch the skin on the back of her neck to transmit those emotions to her. Hope took a deep shuddered breath, and began to cry anew.

"What did I do?" Harry asked. "I was trying to help."

Hope shook her head; "No one has touched me in that loving a manner since my mom died. It's overwhelming."

"Give Draco time to get used to the idea. He'll come around. He has behaved toward you entirely differently than I have seen him act toward anyone else. He won't want to lose you."

"I wish I was that confidence," she muttered and dried her tears. She slipped back into the Slytherin common room with no further issue.

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Harry turned around to head up to Gryffindor Tower when he caught sight of Draco's white blonde hair. He followed the other boy a minute. "Malfoy," he called.

"What do you want Potter?"

"I want to talk to you about Hope."

"What? It's not enough that you don't let Ginny chat with me anymore now you have to turn Hope against me too," Draco spat.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? I was comforting her because you made her cry. I told her you would come around...I defended you," Harry snapped.

Draco snarled, "Like I believe that. You would do anything to make sure I hurt."

"No, I wouldn't," the raven-haired boy stated.

The blond boy glared at him, "That was a pretty intense embrace you two shared. Maybe I'll tell Ginny about it."

Harry shook his head, "You know what Hope is...what she can do...I was trying to use it to comfort her. Ginny will understand that. I will tell her myself...You need to let this go. There is no conspiracy here against you."

"I need to let this go...you're the one that pulled the ultimatum on Ginny. You're the one that made it you or me. I know you are gloating that she chose you."

Harry growled to himself, "I am going to walk away now. You can continue to mutter crazy thoughts to yourself... You best fix things with Hope. She's one of your only true friends. Don't lose that."

"Don't tell me how to live my life or what I need to do. You worry about yourself Potter," Draco snarled.

"Hey! I am trying to help you... You really hurt her tonight. Your opinion matters to her... Why I will never understand but hey... You made Hope feel that her worst fears were validated. None of that has anything to do with me," Harry snapped.

"Well she is a freak," Malfoy spat.

"You're a piece of work Malfoy...you really are. She can do something magical... useful... amazing...and you recoil in fear of it. All you have to do is walk in there and get a hug and you will feel calm and loved. Things I don't think you get very often... After all you tend to make your world very small." With that Harry Potter left Draco Malfoy stand in the hallway hating him all the more.

TBC...

A/N: What did you think Draco was going to become squeaky clean in this story? Redemption takes work...and normally some major missteps before the ultimate freefall moment. We aren't close to that by a long shot. Also get used to the fact that the major players in this story will be Harry, Ginny, Draco, and Hope. Ron and Hermione will make appearances but will not play a huge role.

Now guys...I am begging. REVIEW my story, PLEASE. If you don't like it, tell me. If you like it, tell me. If I am screwing up my grammar, please, please, please tell me. I have a couple iffy chapters coming up that need serious re-writes. I need REVIEWS to inspire me.

So... I will REVIEW to make Joy stop begging. I will REVIEW to make Joy stop begging.

Thank you.


	5. The break down

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. It helps believe me.

5.The break down

Harry immediately found Ginny that night and told her that Hope and Draco had a falling out. "What do you mean a falling out?" Gin asked.

"They had a fight over something that Hope hadn't told you or Draco about yet. He felt betrayed and acted on it," Harry stated with a sigh. "Look, I wouldn't have even brought it up, except that I hugged Hope to comfort her."

"I know you don't hug people that often but that's not a big deal Harry," she commented.

"I know that and you know that but apparently when Draco saw it he felt that I was somehow turning Hope against him... He also seemed to think this was so grand thing he could tell you about to stick it to me. I don't get that guy...but that's not the point. I just didn't want you to be surprised tomorrow and I didn't want Draco to make it sound like I was having an affair with Hope."

"Okay...I'll talk to Hope tomorrow. Thanks for being there for her Harry."

"No problem Gin."

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Ginny could see something had changed between Draco and Hope the next time she saw them. Draco was no longer taking meals with Hope...in fact he was back to his player ways. Gin shook her head at his behavior but for the time being said nothing. It pained her to see him deliberately hurt Hope but she couldn't approach Draco alone about it without violating Harry's trust...so she was at a loss. Draco's behavior toward Hope just seemed to piss Harry off royally.

Hope told Ginny exactly what had happened between her and Draco to explain the change in demeanor. Ginny completely understood Hope's reticence to share her 'gift' with others and told her the same thing as Harry...Draco would come around. Still the situation made Harry uncomfortable.

Despite the drama, Dumbledore's trio still had work to completely, which was done in an old mystical classroom set aside for especially for them to work in. They each had the charmed books like Ginny had over the summer. There was a storage shelving-unit to house the special texts. Harry didn't like the fact he still had no idea what Ginny was working towards and he liked it less that Dumbledore was behind it...in particularly since Draco seemed to have reverted back to his old ways. Except when he was actually with Ginny.

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One evening that feeling of hesitance was compounded when Dumbledore came to him before quidditch practice. "Harry, Ronald," he called.

"Yes headmaster," Ron said.

Dumbledore initially addressed Ron; "Your sister is in the midst of very important research tonight. She may be on the verge of a major discovery. I need her to remain working, therefore she will be missing quidditch practice...Harry I am having Dobby prepare a separate dinner for the three so they won't have to stop. If they are still at it at nine this evening, you can come pick up your girlfriend. You know the room."

"Yes sir," Harry sighed.

Dumbledore eyed him thoughtfully, "Is there something concerning you, Harry?"

"I am just having a hard time trusting Malfoy...in particularly with him reverting back to some of his old ways...and the way he has been treating Hope," the young man explained.

The headmaster motioned for Ron to go on ahead in to the locker room before he would address Harry's concerns. Ron nodded and didn't anticipate seeing Harry for the rest of the evening.

"Harry," Dumbledore said with a tired sigh, "Sometimes when you were hurting you would take it out on the people around you, correct?"

The young man set his jaw, "Yes."

"Now, I would imagine to the outside observer may have doubted you based on what they saw. You were yelling at your best friends..."

"Professor this isn't a situation where someone is acting out...this is a situation that for a few days a mean kid behaved nicely then reverted to form."

"Once you form a habit, is it not hard to break?" Dumbledore said in his maddening way.

"So I am being ridiculous?" Harry snapped.

"No Harry. I am just asking you to entertain the possibility that Draco's behavior isn't as nefarious as you make it out to be... I don't fool myself enough to believe that Mr. Malfoy won't slip up and badly. But he has an important role to play in the war Harry. Whether you like it or not he will be your ally. You need to begin to trust him... even if he proves that he shouldn't be trusted."

Harry got the distinct feeling Dumbledore knew something he wasn't sharing.

During practice Ron watched Harry chasing the snitch around the field despite the fact he could have caught it several times. Harry seemed to need to blow off some steam. Unfortunately he hadn't blown off enough steam by the time nine p.m. rolled around.

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Harry listened as Ginny and Draco laughed together with Hope just beyond the door. It grated at him that he could never make Ginny that happy...that carefree. A general feeling of possessiveness and proprietorship took hold of him, especially he saw Draco flirtatiously tickle his girlfriend. He knocked lightly at the door bringing all attention to him. Ironically enough Hope looked the happiest to see him.

"Harry," she called practically leaping into his arms. He did his best to clear his mind and embrace Hope with brotherly affection.

"Hey there Hope," he murmured as he hugged her making sure that she hugged him to the side so he could wrap one arm around her body ending with his palm holding the nape of her neck.

Whatever had happened in that study room in the last few hours had been too intense for Hope to fight off. Harry himself could feel an almost oppressive force radiating off of Draco. He could only imagine what mental blocks Hope must have used to withstand it. Then again maybe Malfoy was doing it on purpose to see how far he could push her before she broke. Hope was at her breaking point. It annoyed Harry to no end that not only did Ginny not seem to notice, but she didn't seem to care either.

Harry just held Hope tight as she burrowed into his chest letting her shields fall in order to feel what she knew Harry would be offering...once again she began to cry. It was only then that Ginny noticed something was severely off.

"Hope," she asked. "What's wrong?"

Hope only stared at Draco for a moment, eyes blue and icy, drilling holes in her not in anger but more scientific consideration. She turned back to Harry and held on tighter. "Get me out of here...Please get me out of here. Get me away from him," she whispered to Harry.

All sorts of protective feelings rose up inside of Harry as Hope held him close. "Push," was all he said to her as they started for the door. Suddenly, Harry reached out and grabbed Draco's wrist using Hope's hand. Draco tried to remove the grip but their combined force was too strong. "Feel that?" Harry asked the blonde Slytherin boy. "That is what I will do to you if you ever pull a stunt like this again."  
"Why does it matter? You are both just freaks anyway," Malfoy said with malice.

Ginny stepped up to him, "What the hell is the matter with you? What did you do to her?"

Draco smirked his maddening smirk at her, "Why nothing Ginevra? How could I? You were right here with me. What could I have possibly done without your notice?" He moved a little closer in her personal space, "Or maybe you were just too distracted to notice?"

Ginny's eyes flashed with hurt and confusion. The three left the study room letting Malfoy churn in his own thoughts.

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Ginny was so confused it was palpable. "We should take her to the nurse."

"Are you kidding? They don't know what she can do and which among them is able to conger enough heartfelt emotion to provide for her," Harry snapped at his girlfriend.

"Why are you angry at me? What did I do?"

"Not a bleeding thing...and that's the point. You were so busy with your project and flirting with Malfoy you didn't notice what state Hope was in or the fact there was a dark force in that room that was coming from Malfoy!" Harry yelled at her. "I have been patient and nice and bleeding understanding, but the fact that you would turn a blind eye because you don't want to see that something is seriously wrong with that guy is beyond me... You let this happen. I had to walk in the room to make it stop. I felt it moment one and you were just sitting in it like there was nothing wrong."

Ginny swallowed, "I'm sorry but I don't know what you expected me to do!"

"I expected you to notice one of your best friends was curling into the fetal position. I expected you to feel what I felt. I expected you to be able to take the blinders off for a few minutes... Now I am going to take Hope to my room. She's gonna sleep on the sofa in there where I know he can't get to her. If you have a problem with that then you need to ask yourself if it would have been necessary if you had been paying attention!" Harry said leading Hope away.

Ginny stood in shock. _Why didn't I notice that there was something wrong? Why was Draco able to get to me like that? What happened in that room that I couldn't see...couldn't feel?_

Draco watched the exchange from the hallway. The Gryffindor couple would be busted up soon enough.

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Harry let Hope lay down on the couch in his room but she refused to let him go. "Hope, Hope, he can't get to you here," Harry assured her as she shook.

"You don't understand Harry," she murmured.

"Then explain it to me."

Hope sighed, "It wasn't like anything I have ever experienced... It's not that I think he can get to me here, its what he was showing me there."

"Talk to me. Tell me," Harry whispered.

She cast her wide blue eyes at him. "Draco was open to me for the first time in a while. He touched my hand and I felt warmth toward me from him. I was so happy...but then his emotions increased. It became this intense almost obsessive feeling. He let all his lust out in a solid wall of emotion. I started to hold him off and he just kept piling on the feelings. Eventually I was getting images of huge snakes, people dying, and physical pain."

"What was Ginny doing?" Harry asked.

"Most of the time she was working but when I started to get the really strong images it was like she was out of it...acting younger...or something."

"Acting younger? Like six or eleven or fifteen? How much younger?" he prodded.

"Umm...I don't know. Not really childlike so probably eleven or twelve," Hope stated. "What are you getting at Harry?"

"He knows...I don't know how he knows but he does. Damn him!"

"What's wrong?" Hope asked suddenly.

"We need to talk to Dumbledore when you're ready," he encouraged.

"Why?" she whispered in confusion.

Harry sighed, "Because if I'm right, Draco somehow hacked Ginny's head."

Hope looked startled by the accusation and digested it a moment. Finally she turned and said, "I'm ready...We can go."

"Okay."

"Hold it," an authoritative female voice stated from the side.

"What was that?" Hope asked quickly.

"My mum," Harry stated and pointed to a picture. "What is it mum?" he asked cheekily.

"Who is this? And why is she in your room? Where is Ginny? Hmmm!" Lily snipped with her hands on her hips.

Harry had to laugh a bit, "I guess you didn't actually hear our conversation, did you mum?"

"No...I did not. I realized you were very upset so I tuned in and low and behold my 17-year-old son has a blond Slytherin in his room without his girlfriend. Now I want an explanation mister."

Harry's shoulders began to shake with laughter, "Its really nice having you around mum... but I bet dad and Sirius are going to rib you good once you find out that your son was honorable taking care of his friend Hope who had been...assaulted in a way... And Ginny knows she is here mum. I promise."

Lily straightened up a bit, "Oh...well..." She squared her shoulders, "I was just concerned. You are still James' son after all. And while I did a remarkable job in helping him mature...he did behave badly before me. I was worried that your recent sexual activity might have gone to your head...at least your smaller head."

"MUM!" Harry fussed at the same time as he heard Sirius and James yell, "LILY!"

By now Hope was on the floor laughing so hard tears were coming down her cheeks.

"You are embarrassing the boy," his father scolded.

"Better embarrassed now than impregnating later," his mother contended.

Harry squinted his eyes shut as he heard a new gale of laughter come from Hope. His life was never gonna be normal.

TBC...

A/N: I know very angst ridden so I gave you a light ending.

Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Joy needs affirmation. Joy needs affirmation.

Thank you.


	6. Settling the matter

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Here I am once again begging for feedback. I know to most people it seems silly but it's the only way I am going to get better is if people actually comment on it. If it weren't for one such comment I would have never been aware that I was interchanging 'than' and 'then'. So please review.

6.Settling the matter

Ginny was in the hallway in shock staring at the path Harry and Hope had taken out of there. She felt disoriented and confused. She spied Draco watching her with an unreadable expression. "What did you do? What did you do to her? What did you do to me?" Ginny growled at him anger emanating from her.

Draco's eyes got dark and pained. "I...I..."

"What? You what? This is the only time I have with you Draco. This is the only time I can support you and be your friend," she tried to reason with him.

He got angry, "Whose fault is that? Huh? I'm not the one that lied to your boyfriend. I'm not the one that hid our friendship from him. I'm not the one that chose to rectify things by cutting off all communication between us except for these meetings... I know Harry didn't ask you to do that. You did that all on your own. You abandoned me!"

"Well don't get self righteous about me not telling Harry... you're the one that was afraid of being disowned. You also were the one that made it sound like I had cheated on him!" Ginny snapped.

Draco growled, "I was messing with his head...that's what I do."

"No, its what you did. You were supposed to try to get better about stuff like that."

"He's Potter and he was telling me to stay away from what was his...I just wanted him to lay off the stupid proprietary stuff...And what? You aren't going to comment on the fact you abandoned me!"

Ginny stared at him a second, "You didn't need me any more. Not the way you did last year. You had Hope...at least you did. She was there all the time. She could be everything you needed. Hell she was everything you needed...everything you wanted!"

"Yeah...until I found out the reason she understood me so well was because she was screwing with my head. If I wanted that I wouldn't be with you researching would I...I would just let them have me," Draco snapped.

"That is not what she does and you know it."

"No I don't know it."

Ginny stared at him, "So that was what tonight was, huh? You make Hope hurt as much as you can by using her gifts against her. My god Draco...I defended you. I trusted you. What am I supposed to do now?"

Draco grit his teeth, "You're supposed to run back to the safety of Gryffindor tower and cuddle with your boyfriend."

She shook her head and walked up to him very close. He defiantly looked in her eyes just before she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry you hurt this much...but don't take it out on Hope anymore. She cares about you. I care about you. Whatever you did to me tonight...I forgive you. I should be extremely pissed, since you know what Tom Riddle did to me and messed with my head anyway...but...screw it. You need to hurt me, because I hurt you. Fine. You have hurt me in one of the most painful ways possible. We're even. I will still be here. I will still be your friend...but leave Hope out of it." Draco gazed a moment as she stared at him hard, "Remember D, you don't have be him...You are better than this."

Ginny gave him a little squeeze and left the Slytherin sex god standing in the hall completely unnerved.

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"Miss Nigellus I am so sorry that this happened. I had hoped that Mr. Malfoy's behavior wouldn't be harmful to anyone."

"I told you he was up to something," Harry growled.

Hope began to laugh once again for no reason.

"Hope, really. Its not that funny," Harry chided.

At that she began to laugh all the harder. "Harry, your dead mother called to you from inside a picture to check to make sure you weren't cheating on your girlfriend with me. Once you assured her you weren't, she then busted your father for his carnal ways before expressing concern that you might have lost your mind due to your 'activities' with your girlfriend. Upon that time your father and godfather felt the need to come to your defense inside the same said picture. Her defense was better embarrass you rather than have you impregnate some girl...i.e. me... I have the right to laugh my ass off. Under the circumstances I am grateful for any amusing thing that can happen...especially tonight."

Dumbledore looked to Harry, "Your parents and Sirius have been contacting you through pictures?"

Harry's face got fearful.

"Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?" Hope asked quickly.

Harry shook his head at Dumbledore, "Please don't take them away. I have needed them so much the last several months...Please don't..."

"Harry...I am not going to take the pictures away from you...Nor will I make the nice people in them stop talking to you. There is a reason that magic is working now and I won't interfere."

Harry nodded, "Thank you sir."

"Now back to Mr. Malfoy."

"Professor, why don't we have another session tomorrow? See if he tries the same game. I will have all my shields in place and we'll see what he does next," Hope suggested.

"You have got to be kidding?" Harry snapped. "I'm not letting him do that to you again."

"He can't...and it's not your choice."

"Now you sound like Ginny."

"Yes well you really should tell her what happened so she'll be on guard tomorrow."

"Alright."

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Hope slipped into the Slytherin common room in silence. She rushed toward the girls' stairs only to find a sullen Draco sitting at the base. His eyes met hers and she could feel his sorrow despite the barriers she put between them. In a small voice he whispered, "I'm sorry." She looked at him like he was nuts or ready to strike or something.

Hope was very aware of the emergency portkey that she was given. It would send her immediately to Harry's quarters if she activated it. She eyed Draco a little and then sat down next to him being very careful not to touch him. The only reason she even sat was because he looked so broken.

Draco realized that Hope would never voluntarily touch him again. She would go out of her way to avoid any casual contact at all. No hugs, no handholding, no tickling, no light touches...no contact at all. "I'm so sorry," he said again.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why'd I do it or why am I sorry?" he asked.

"Both," she answered.

Draco shrugged, "You are the person I trusted most in the house...and suddenly you turned on me for no reason. I didn't know how to deal with that. I was so open with you and then you went...well... Pansy on me."

Hope chuckled a bit at the joke.

Draco almost smiled but then bit his lip, "So much of my life I felt manipulated and controlled...spied on. I couldn't handle feeling like you were doing that to me... And that after everything with Ginny, I couldn't deal."

"So what was tonight?" she asked simply.

He grit his teeth, "I wanted to know how it worked...and..."

"And..." she said knowing the rest but he needed to say it.

"And I...I wanted to make you hurt like I was hurting," he answered.

"And you don't think me crying in the hall the night you called me a freak was a good enough punishment for that?" Hope snapped at him.

"You were with him!" Draco snapped back.

"So because Harry was my friend and comforted me I deserved what I got. He defended you...they both did," she answered.

"I don't know how to be good Hope," he admitted. "I have a short fuse. I don't take rejection well. I'm not... good...like him. I get jealous and angry. I don't care that I am conniving... I just don't want to be that evil."

"Well, you have to start somewhere," she offered. "Asking for forgiveness in the dungeon is as good a place as any."

They sat on the floor next to one another for a long while until Hope fell asleep, her head touching Draco's shoulder. Draco felt that calmly peace that Harry had mentioned before. He sighed; peace was something he knew little about...with any luck he might learn to embrace it.

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Harry heard a relentless knocking at his door, so despite sleep and modesty he got up and went to the sound. He threw open the door in a sleepy haze to see a very shaken looking Ginny standing there.

"Are you okay luv?" he whispered wrapping his arms around her quickly.

"You didn't come," she answered with dried tears on her face.

"What?" he asked. "When?"

"In my dream you didn't make it to the Chamber...I woke up and waited in the common room for you to come...but you didn't. Why didn't you come Harry?" Ginny cried. "You always come."

Harry kissed her brow over and over. "I'm sorry luv...I don't know. Maybe somehow with me being further away I can't feel it like I used to." He led her to his bed and moved her to lie down with him.

"Or maybe you don't love me anymore," she cried more even as she trusted him to move her into his bed.

"You know that isn't true," he insisted petting her hair.

"You were so mad at me tonight," Ginny sniffled.

"I know. I'm sorry... That guy just makes me nuts. I don't like that he messed with both you and Hope."

"I know...I yelled at him about it. He seemed to be kicking himself pretty bad afterward."

"I hope so..." Harry said calmly, still touching Ginny lightly to comfort her.

"Lets go to sleep," Gin murmured not thinking beyond wanting to be close.

He smiled and ran his hand down the side of her torso grazing her breast. She arched into his touch moving her body closer in a seductive manner. "How 'bout I make you feel good first?" Harry purred.

Ginny adjusted her body slide along his length. "You are really good at that...I was missing your touch," she admitted.

"Things have been a little weird since we've been back," he said as he kissed her throat.

"Stuff with..." Gin began to say.

"New rule, no mentioning the guy with the initials DM in my bedroom while I am touching your breasts," Harry teased as he nipped her neck.

Ginny began to laugh, "How bout the only names allowed to be spoken when we are in bed together like this be, Gin, Harry, god, and Merlin?"

"Sounds like a plan," he said as his lips closed around her nipple.

"Merlin."

Harry smirked to himself at her proclamation...His life would always be weird but at least he was happy.

TBC...

Okay...anybody want to take a guess at what Hope, Draco, and Ginny are researching? How 'bout why those three people in particular are the ones doing it? Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW.


	7. Nerves

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Sorry it took me awhile to put this out but I kept feeling like there was something missing. It's longer that most chapters so...be happy.

7.Nerves

Things functioned on almost an even keel for two whole weeks but then Draco slipped into bad habits and everyone went on guard. At first it was his perpetual flirting, then kissing several girls around the castle. Eventually it seemed the king was back in action.

This was a mystery to most but not to Hope. This unfortunate string of events occurred because Ginny left early from one of their meetings one night. Her leaving wasn't the problem, it was Draco's infatuation with Hope that was.

"What's wrong Draco?" Hope asked kindly.

"Nothing...Why do you ask?" Draco answered in a flirtatious manner.

"I can feel your anxiety about something," she contended.

His face fell and he looked away, "It's nothing."

That was when the mistake happened, because that was when Hope reached across the table and took Draco's hand. Hope quickly let go drawing her hand away. She stared at him in absolute shock. "D..."

"I have to go," was all he said as he fled the room.

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Two weeks later the trend came to a height when it became obvious that Draco was at least in part flirting with Ginny actively during their work sessions. Harry would pick Ginny up from research, Hope would be fine although avoiding Draco's looks, and Gin would immediately come to Harry happy and giggling. The third time in a row that Harry picked Gin up and she had obviously been laughing with Malfoy. It was a Friday night; there were no grand study plans that needed to be acted upon, so he decided to use some of that proprietary behavior Ginny was so found of.

"Hello luv," Harry purred ignoring Draco's presence entirely having naively believed that it was Ginny Draco was attracted to.

"Hello handsome," Ginny purred back coming into his arms immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Harry ran his hands down Gin's sides on the inside of her robes so no one could see him caress her breast as he kissed her completely before squeezing her bum. Ginny let out a happy little squeal and drew one leg up over his hip. Harry and Gin were both panting as Hope let out a wolf whistle and clapped.

Ginny and Harry both tipped their heads to avoid looking at the other people in the room.

Gin looked deeply into Harry's eyes, "I certainly hope you don't think you are allowed to get away with that and not make good."

"Whatever do you mean Miss Weasley?" Harry feigned innocence and bat his eyes.

Ginny attacked his mouth again ran her hands down to his bum and pinched him. When he groaned she pulled away saying. "I have plans for you Mr. Potter...and you will be my willing slave. Got it?" she teased.

"Anything you say...Master," he played back.

Malfoy was glaring at Harry as the couple headed for the door. Harry looked at the other boy and gave him a smug smile.

"Don't come looking for us tonight," Ginny tossed over her shoulder, "unless evil comes calling."

With that the couple was out the door and Draco was done playing...Harry Potter was not allowed to have everything.

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After that evening the meetings were no longer any fun. Draco refused to speak to either girl for some odd reason. Despite her better judgment, Ginny had gone out of her way to talk to him but he just completely ignored her. Finally one evening she had enough. After Hope had headed out, Gin grabbed Draco's arm and wouldn't let him go, "D." He said nothing. "Draco... what's going on? Why are you freezing me out?"

His brilliant blue eyes flashed at her, "Whatever do you mean Ginevra? You froze me out... I was merely working."

"You won't talk to me," she stated.

He looked oddly innocent as he said, "There is nothing to discuss."

"Why not?" she pled.

"Because you are Harry Potter's girlfriend...end of story," he responded.

"This is about Harry?" Ginny questioned.

"This is about knowing with whom you truly belong," Draco stated icily.

She looked him over carefully, "Are you selling us out D?"

He smirked at her, "Why? Don't you trust me, Ginevra?"

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"I don't know what to do? He won't talk to either of us anymore. I swear we are loosing him," Ginny said in a frantic tone to her boyfriend.

Harry did his best to be supportive but in general he was glad that Draco wasn't coming on to his girlfriend any longer. "Have you tried to talk to him about it?" Ginny didn't respond at first. "Gin, I am not going to be mad if you tried to get him to come clean with you. The last thing we need is Malfoy to use whatever you are working on against us."

She lowered her head and nodded. "I tried...he won't talk."

"Then maybe its time to see Dumbledore," he offered...trying to be as supportive as possible.

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Later that same week, Professor Dumbledore arrived walking slowly to Harry and Ginny as they studied in the Gryffindor common room. One can only assume they were studying in there, because in Harry's room there was too much temptation...but that is a different aspect to this story.

Ginny looked up first, "Good evening Professor. Was there something that you needed?"

"Yes Miss Weasley. If you and Mr. Potter could follow me I would appreciate it."

Harry and Ginny followed Dumbledore blindly into a room near the Gryffindor common room...into the room Ginny had been attacked in the previous year. Harry noticed shortly after Ginny did but neither commented on the strange location selected to meet.

"Miss Weasley, I regret to inform you that Mr. Malfoy has pulled out of the project. He stands by his decision to honor the alliances he has made...not exposing Snape and all... but apparently he doesn't feel his presence is helping at all in the group. He asked for me to deliver this to you."

Harry was suspect of the situation because of the choice of room and that they hadn't been merely summoned to the Headmaster's office...it was also odd that Harry himself was there at all. He soon heard Ginny sniffle and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong luv?"

"He's asked me and Hope to 'save him' but that he can't continue to work with us... Harry, I don't understand," she mumbled.

Harry shook his head, "I'm sorry Gin. I hoped he was serious. I can't believe he'd do this though. This makes no sense. This was his only time to talk to you...I don't understand why he would cut you off entirely like this?"

Dumbledore's face contorted a moment in a very un-Dumbledore way but remained silent.

"I know...It doesn't make sense. He knows I promised you I wouldn't start up writing with him..."

"Gin..." Harry tried to interrupt, "maybe he needs you to come after him? Maybe you should try to..."

"No...I screwed up this summer. I know that. I've faced that. And I have tried to make it better. I told you what the lines were that I laid down. I told him what the lines were I laid down... Now I tried talking to him at the meetings and nothing. I tried talking to him alone and he does this. He just cut me off." Ginny shook her head, "Guess I know how important our friendship was to him after all?"

With those words Dumbledore all but stormed from the room without a word.

"That was not typical Dumbledore behavior," Ginny observed.

"No, it wasn't," Harry concurred.

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Feeling as though somehow he had deprived Ginny of a friend, Harry attempted to be as attentive as possible. He would get nervous whenever Ginny got a letter but she simply got into the habit of telling him whom her owls were from and always reading them beside him. She had even gone so far as to pick a 'typical' Draco letter she had received over the summer to show Harry they were innocuous. Quickly Harry stopped by so insecure and they started to behave like a couple again.

Hope and Ginny continued their project. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all offered to help but were turned away. Hermione was trying her hardest to deal with her hurt over how close she and Ginny were over the summer and now she had been dropped for this new friend. Ron was furious that his little sister cared so much about a couple of Slytherins.

They both were pissed at Harry for the whole situation. But Harry couldn't complain. With Draco out of the picture he felt much more secure in his relationship with Ginny.

"We used to work together. You used to trust us," Hermione snapped at the other couple but the comment was definitely geared to Ginny.

"I'm sorry Hermione but I can't tell you about what we are working on...not yet... Harry doesn't even know so don't get angry with him," Ginny stated.

"What the bleeding hell is going on with you? You have been spending so much time with those snakes I don't even recognize you. You are missing practices and classes... You are so worried about Draco Malfoy, a guy that you actually hexed not terribly long ago... and this new girl? Why do you care?" Ron chided his sister.

Ginny grit her teeth and turned bright red. "I was slated to be one of those snakes Ron. Did you know that? But the sorting hat gave me a choice... I knew my 'tolerant' family would never accept me if I was in Slytherin, so I asked for the default choice... You have no right to judge them...to judge her... 'cause whatever you think of them Ronald you have to think of me," she snapped at him in a cold voice.

Ron was in shock, as it appeared was Hermione. Harry took the opportunity to wrap an arm around Ginny's shoulders, "Close your mouth Ron. I was supposed to be there too, but you had scared me so badly against the house that I just kept wishing to be in any other house. The hat still insists I would have done well in Slytherin."

"I can't believe it," Ron muttered.

Hermione turned her head, "So this is how it is now? You are with her and not me?"

Ginny shook her head, "No Mione. Don't think of it like that. I had to deal with you lot always running off and having your adventures together. This is my adventure...I'm sorry its hurting you to be left behind."

"Me too," the brown haired girl said before she left the common room.

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Things soon went from bad to worse as rumbles began that Voldemort was beginning to gather forces again, far from Hogwarts. Problems then compounded when Draco started dating a blond Slytherin named April. The girl was known for being pretty loose with guys. April wasn't exactly girlfriend material... she was exactly the kind of girl Draco had said he wanted to avoid.

Ginny got very concerned during dinner one night when it became obvious that Draco was getting a hand job at the table. Poor Hope just sat there looking crushed.

"I can't believe he is doing this," Ginny hissed.

"Why does it matter to you?" Harry had asked her out of fear.

She looked at him like he was nuts, "If you couldn't talk to a close friend of yours and you knew they were doing something they said they didn't want you would be concerned too."

"She's beautiful and a Slytherin. What do you expect from the 'Sex God'?" he asked.

"More," she snapped.

The argument was left there and Harry tried to put it from his mind. But in the end, he always wondered if Ginny was jealous.

TBC...

A/N: WARNING! Next chapter is going to be hell. Have fun... Oh and wouldn't you love to know what Hope saw when she touched Draco?

If you want to know what that means then feed me...oh you know how... REVIEW.

So please REVIEW. Please REVIEW.


	8. The pain of betrayal

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

**_A/N: PLEASE READ!_**

Okay so one reviewer got the guts to say this story was confusing and asked questions... so THANK YOU. If you recall in the first fic you had to wait until about chapter 12 to find out what had happened to Ginny. Some people actually thought there was a prequel that I hadn't mentioned. So some questions won't be answered...not yet. But some I will answer or allude to... 

**_Harry not jumping Draco? Why hasn't it happened?_** Well to be honest because it wouldn't help the story or him with the girl. Once Harry saw the interaction between Draco and Ginny on the train, he knew that he had to be careful. Recall of course the number of rows he witnessed with Ron and Hermione about Viktor. He didn't attack Draco because he needed clarification from Ginny. Harry does not want to loose Ginny, so he is bending over backwards.

**_Why hasn't Harry gone after Dumbledore for all the secrecy?_** In the first story Harry and Ginny got into a HUGE row because he went to Dumbledore behind her back. In the second fic during the summer I had Dumbledore show up briefly to basically tell everyone to stay out of Ginny's business and stay out of her way. Lastly at the beginning of this fic I mentioned that Dumbledore knows that Harry has pretty much given up on him and trusting him. Even when Dumbledore and Harry did talk in the story it was plain to see the stress there. Oh and last chapter...HUGE TEASER...that_ wasn't _Dumbledore Ginny and Harry were talking to.

**_Why are Ginny, Hope and Draco the only ones allowed to research if this is to help Harry win the war?_** **_I.E. Why isn't Hermione helping?_** Just because they are researching for the war does not mean it will be to specifically help Harry. This answer will be gotten to in like three chapters so just hang on. I will give you this...go back and read the last few lines of the prologue of this story. One statement applies to Draco, one applies to Hope and one is about Ginny. I will also say is that the Hermione question will not be answered until chapter 13 unfortunately. All I can really say is Hermione, Ron, and Harry were always finding their own projects to research and work on. This project was actually given to Ginny, Hope, and Draco. I will give you a bit of motivation on Dumbledore's part that isn't written anywhere... Dumbledore has had a theory floating in his head for some time...but he had to wait until Ginny was old enough, strong enough, and secure enough to handle attempting it. This project revolves around GINNY. Keep that in mind.

See what happens when you ask questions or display displeasure...you get answers. I encourage you all to remember that when you are trying to decide whether or not to review. If you don't get it, SAY SO!

Now onto more confusing text that really doesn't touch on anything mentioned above but you do find out what Hope saw when she touched Draco. On with the show!

8. The pain of betrayal 

Roughly two months after school began, Harry looked about the Common Room for Ginny to go to dinner. Hermione and Ron were supposed to meet them there. The couples now made a special effort to eat together each night, hopefully study some, and try to have a bit of fun together. It had been working well and tensions were eased marginally. But this night Harry couldn't find his girl. It's not like they had said they would meet in the common room... it was just they normally did. Harry couldn't help feeling like something was off…something wasn't right. That's when he heard the whispering that meant things were not good with him and Ginny.

A couple girls had come through the portal murmuring, not paying any attention to who was around. "I can't believe they were snogging in the hall like that."

"Its almost like she wants Harry to catch her cheating."

"I swear...it's embarrassing."

"I know. I heard that they have been going at it like this since the beginning of school."

"Well I heard it was some weird three way with the new girl too."

Harry digested the words a moment then moved swiftly to the portal unaware of the smirks the two 'oblivious' girls were giving off. "He fell for it," one said.

"Its only a matter of time before Gryffindors' favorite couple is broken to pieces," the second stated with an evil smirk.

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Harry moved through the halls near the Gryffindor common room listening for two people kissing. It didn't take him long to find them due to the moans and grunts. All he could do was stare in absolute astonishment. There was his girlfriend's telltale red-locks. She was snogging some guy…_no…dear god no_.

"God you taste good Gin," the white haired male murmured. Harry was ready to be sick.

Malfoy had his hands occupied feeling Ginny up in the middle of the hallway, one under her shirt, and the other beneath her robes. The osculation continued much to Harry's dismay. "Um…yeah…there. Right there…Such soft little hands…" he panted most certainly getting a hand-job. "My little hands," Malfoy suddenly growled. "Won't share you with Potter."

"No," Ginny whispered. She didn't sound right to Harry's ears, but that might have just been him not wanting to believe it was Gin…that she could do something this vile...and in public.

Harry turned from the scene completely heartbroken.

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Malfoy and his red head broke off their affections to watch Potter's form retreating into the darkness. Draco smirked, "That was bloody brilliant."

"Ya think?" the girl said.

"Yeah…and I think we should finish what we started," he cooed backing them into a closet. "I wasn't kidding about the hands," Draco murmured kissing the girl's neck.

Ginny's face smirked evilly, "How bout I give you a ride, baby?"

Malfoy chuckled, "It is so odd hearing that from the mouth of a Weasley."

"Well let me show you what that mouth can do," she said closing the door, before showing her talents.

Malfoy panted looking down at the girl on her knees doing a wonderful job getting him off. He stroked her hair, which had begun to change colors back to its original blond, over and over with the rhythm she was setting.

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Harry strode back to where he had seen his cheating girlfriend to have a yelling match and curse Malfoy every which way to Sunday. Unfortunately he arrived as Malfoy began to arrive inside the closet.

"Oh Merlin… oh Merlin …" Draco grunted. "DEAR MERLIN you're good at that!"

Harry's eyes were huge as he heard Malfoy say, "I love the way your long hair looks when you do that... Give me a kiss. I want to taste myself on your lips."

Inside there was a nearly naked blonde haired blue eyed April where the former 'Ginny' had been looking at Draco as he continued to comb through her long locks that had no trace of red left in them.

Harry of course could not see the truth beyond the door. He stumbled back throwing up on the floor beside him. Leaning against the wall for support, he panted then ran through the halls blindly. _How could she! And with Malfoy!_

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Elsewhere in the castle, Ron and Hermione looked worriedly at Ginny who they had taken to see Madame Pomfry. A little over an hour before Ginny had become violently ill, stumbling through the hallway. If Hermione and Ron hadn't been snogging nearby Ginny well could have passed out with no one finding her for quite awhile.

Poppy took a deep breath, "You've been hexed Miss Weasley."

"What?" Gin questioned in astonishment.

"Someone spiked your food or drink."

"Someone did this on purpose?" Hermione asked.

Madame Pomfry nodded, "I'm afraid so. From what I can tell, it looks as if you were slipped a sleeping draft that wasn't made quiet right. You are fortunate your brother and Miss Granger found you when they did. Right now you could be unconscious in a potion induced coma...Do you remember eating or drinking anything that tasted funny?"

Ginny thought a moment. "I was given some pumpkin juice by some girl I didn't know real well in my last class… I never imagined someone would try to do this."

"I'll go get Harry," Ron offered. "He'll want to be here."

"Don't bother Harry," Ginny murmured still rather loopy from the experience. "He's upset about something. This will only make him paranoid that someone is out to get me."

Hermione knew that Ginny hadn't seen Harry since lunch when Harry had seemed rather jovial. She chose to ask about it later.

"But someone is out to get you," he insisted. "There is a benefit to dating the boy-who-lived...protection being one of them."

"I am not going to _use _Harry for any reason...and this was probably just a stupid prank."

Madame Pomfry returned with a potion in a goblet. "Drink this... No riding a broom for two days and get plenty of sleep. I am excusing you from classes. Check back with me in two days," Poppy instructed as Ginny sipped an unpleasant portion that did make her feel better.

"Thank you. I promise to take it easy," Ginny promised as she drank the potion.

Poppy smiled, "Between the four of you I believe we should set up your own wing."

Hermione and Ron helped Ginny move slowly to the Great Hall.

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Draco was smiling way too much about something at dinner in most Gryffindors minds. That smile meant only bad things ahead. Even Hope had accepted that as she watched him. It killed her to have to face Draco daily as he was all over April. It seemed as if nothing was left of the boy that she had slowly fallen for over the summer through their letters. She thought he felt the same... She knew he felt the same...at least before he had. When she touched him in that one time during their research group, she knew it was true.

Hope never told anyone what she had seen...not even Draco. Just like everyone else in the world, several things float through your head at one time. Hope had seen it all...and that it seemed was too much for Draco. She was used to touching guys accidentally and seeing their thoughts...which nine times out of ten were sexual. Harry had no idea that once Hope had seen his thought about both she and Ginny scantly clad in bed with him...something like that is normal for the male mind. In her life Hope had seen what the male mind could conjure and normally it was rather kinky.

Ironically it wasn't something kinky that had freaked Draco out that Hope might see...at least she didn't think so. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had been thinking about a few fairly exotic ways to take her virginity...every type of her virginity...but that wasn't the predominant thought. The thought that was at the forefront of his mind was a little white blond haired girl with Hope's great big blue eyes. The child was a perfect mix of Hope and Draco...and he had named her...her name was Faith. Faith because of the faith Hope had shown in him. It was a little freaky and that is why Hope let go...but if she had known then that Draco was going to lose his mind like this she would have interlaced their fingers and held on for dear life.

Now Hope's only proof that there was any of the Draco she knew and loved left was when she would be doing homework in the Slytherin common room. She would catch his eyes staring at her. They were filled with pain, sorrow, and maybe love. Once he would realize he had been caught he would flee the room.

Draco didn't protect Hope from the other Slytherins anymore so she had to fend for herself. That was okay because she used her gift to gain trust from some that she truly understood them and struck fear into others that she could read their minds. In the end she was still Queen of Slytherin and Draco was still King. They just weren't together anymore...just like a real royal family. The whole situation sucked.

Hope looked again at Draco, whose brilliant smile turned to a scowl when he saw the Ron, Hermione, and Ginny enter the Great Hall. "What is she doing here?" Draco snapped at one of the girls that had helped in his little scheme.

"I…I don't know. That should have knocked her out for the night."

"If this backfires because of your incompetence I will not be pleased," he growled.

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The Gryffindors took their seats at their table. "Where is Harry?" Hermione asked looking about. "We're late and he isn't here."

"Maybe he ate without us?" Ron offered.

"No…he's sulking off somewhere," Ginny said off-handedly. The potion Poppy gave her was loosening her tongue quite a bit.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other curiously.

"How could you possibly know that?" Ron asked firmly.

Gin blinked several times, somewhat numb. "We're connected. We always have been. We always will be."  
"So you can feel him sulking?" Hermione asked cautiously.

The red haired girl smirked, "So could you if you concentrated hard enough."

TBC...

A/N: Next chapter is all Gin/Harry confrontation. Take a deep breath... Anybody guessed that Hope would have seen something so touching from Draco?

Now I realize that Draco has featured heavily in this story but still REVIEW it. I promise once most of this stuff is sorted Draco and Hope will factor in less and Harry and Ginny will once again be center stage.

So...I'm begging...REVIEW PPPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE! REVIEW. Thank you.


	9. Facing the truth

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy   
A/N: Okay guys this is what you have been waiting for...the complete and total reconciliation. Harry and Ginny will have minor miscommunications in the future but that is it. _You survived the last huge drop on this rollercoaster_.   
9.Facing the truth 

When Hermione and Ron became completely freaked by Harry's disappearance. They felt certain Harry's vanishing act was a direct result of whatever was making Malfoy so gleeful or the same person that hexed Ginny in some way form or fashion. Gin could not convince them otherwise, so she went on her search to get her boyfriend back to the eye-line of his best friends before either had a coronary.

Ginny found Harry in one of the many unused portions of the castle. In the past months her link to Harry had strengthened somehow. She could feel him. She could find him…always. This was no different. Things had been strained at moments but Ginny was now convinced that she and Harry would never part ways. If she had known what Harry had been thinking at those moments, she wouldn't have been so confident.

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Gin saw him tucked away in a corner by himself hiding from the world. She brought him a warm fleece blanket to snuggle into and a thermos of hot chocolate. She could tell he really didn't want company so she just leaned him forward a bit and wrapped him in the soft material. As Ginny went to set the thermos down, Harry caught her wrist. "Don't leave me," he whispered.

She regarded him for a moment. "If you want to have a sit, I can be quiet as a mouse."

Harry shook his head, "That's not what I meant." He looked up at her with reflective green eyes and said, "Please don't leave me."

Now Ginny was confused. There was so much confusion and sorrow in his eyes that she couldn't understand. "What's this all about Harry? Why would I leave you?" He looked away. Her chest hurt with a sharp pain she couldn't identify. It wasn't her pain.

Something in his eyes gave away the betrayal he felt.

"Do…do you think I'm seeing someone else?" she asked carefully.

Harry clinched his eyes shut, "I know I should be mad, angry, reject you because that is what you are supposed to do when you're cheated on but…I just want you to stay so badly I don't care…I just…_How could you do that to me Ginny? How?_"

"Harry what are you talking about?" Ginny asked getting upset. "I would never hurt you like that…especially after this summer and the letters. I have been so careful with myself. I never wanted you to doubt me again...How can I make you understand? I don't want anybody else… I…I love you."

Anger suddenly flared from Harry directly into Ginny. "I saw you with him, not more than two hours ago. I saw you kissing, groping…I heard you too, okay? I heard you get him off. That bloody Malfoy."

Ginny stared unbelieving at her boyfriend. "Harry do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Malfoy…Draco Malfoy. I haven't spoken to him at all since he stopped coming to our sessions. I know he and I were friends and that makes you uncomfortable but nothing romantic could ever be with us. I have loved you since I was a child. No one could ever take your place in my heart... Whatever you saw and heard…whoever you saw and heard I swear it wasn't me."

"You don't think I could recognize you when I was looking right at you? You don't think I heard you when he told you he wouldn't share your soft little hands with me? You don't think I know the truth?" His eyes seemed to get darker, "_Why would you do this to me? I have only ever loved you since we have been together. _I gave you an out on the train Ginny. If you wanted to be with him so bad why did you torture me like this?" he yelled at her in pain.

Ginny could feel Harry's agony spread throughout his person and she couldn't bare it. "Harry, listen to me...Two hours ago I was with Ron and Hermione in the hospital wing. Ask them…Ask Madame Pomfry. I swear to you I was not with Draco," she pled.

"Hospital wing?" Harry asked quickly.

Ginny felt concern wash over Harry in a great wave of emotion. "I guess I know why it happened now."

Harry grit his teeth, "What happened now?"

Gin sighed, "I didn't want to make you paranoid but now I can see you would have had good reason… A few hours ago a girl I didn't really recognize gave me some spiked pumpkin juice. Poppy said it was a messed up sleeping potion. I was very ill from it. If Hermione and Ron hadn't found me I probably would have passed out... and not from the way intended."

Harry thought things through. He recognized the girls who had been talking about Ginny in the corridor but he didn't really know them. Malfoy liked nothing better than to hurt him…it may have all been a set up. But that would mean the Gryffindor girls had probably been in on it…or like Ginny had been replaced by a doppelganger.

"Please say you believe me," Ginny whispered obviously very frightened that he honestly believed she would cheat on him.

"Kiss me," he said quietly.

Ginny placed a soft loving kiss on his lips leaving it quite chaste. Harry however wanted more...his emotions had been so up and down the last several weeks, that at that moment nothing mattered more than showing Ginny how passionately he felt for her. His tongue crept into her mouth and began to caress hers. Harry's hands came up to frame Gin's face before delving into her lovely red locks. Ginny's hands caressed Harry's chest and shoulders as she grabbed onto him for dear life. By the end of the kiss both of their cheeks were wet from tears.

Harry pulled back and stared into Gin's worried face when a thought struck him, "Ginny? Did you just say you loved me?"

Ginny Weasley always stuttered and stammered in Harry Potter's presence as a child. She would turn beat red and say nothing at all. Apparently there was still some of that little girl in the Ginny that had clung to Harry when life was hard and painful. She looked at the ground; her cheeks red and heated saying not a word. Harry leaned into her and cupped her cheek with his palm forcing her to look at him. She had never uttered those words before, mainly out of fear. After everything that they had been through…had meant to each other, Ginny still couldn't quite get past the idea that she was just the Weasley girl or one of Harry's sympathy cases.

"Please...I need to hear it... Did you say that you loved me?" he asked directly.

"Yes," she answered very quietly. "I do...I do love you." Her uncertain eyes met his.

Harry let those few little words wash over him in a great wave. He was loved. She had said it...and he was loved. His mother had been right...Ginny had her own path to walk. He couldn't rush her to say the words...But now that she had said the words he had been so desperate to hear he realized that he had known the truth all along.

He looked at his darling and sighed, "I've been sitting here for two hours having my heartbreak over and over again as I tried to make sense of where we went wrong. What I had done wrong." He placed his finger over her lips when she tried to interrupt. "Let me talk."

"Okay," she whispered.

He continued on, "I hurt so much but I couldn't bear the thought of letting you go." Harry caressed Ginny's cheek with his thumb, "I read this thing from the muggle world once that just kept playing in my head… 'Why is it that we can never see the moment love begins but we always know the moment it ends?'"

"What are you telling me Harry?" Ginny asked softly in so much fear.

He ran his thumb over her lips, "I knew in my heart that I loved you…more than just being in love…more than just wanting to touch your body and have you touch mine. I knew that I loved you…the way my father loved my mother… and it scared me. I was too young to feel this way. It was too much pressure on you…so I didn't tell you. I should have. I know I should have but…I kept thinking things with us would change if you would just say the words back...maybe then I would be ready to tell you how deeply I felt for you. But now that you've said them and as much as I loved hearing them I always knew you loved me. I was just scared that if I completely surrendered my heart to you I wouldn't recover when you got bored or tired of me...like I thought happened today. Now I see that if I had just laid it on the line maybe I wouldn't have been fooled by Malfoy's trick... I should have told you, but I didn't want to lose you by scaring you away with my seriousness. I don't want to lose you at all...ever."

"You aren't going to lose me Harry. Not now...not ever," Ginny said with confidence.

"Promise?" he murmured.

"Promise." she answered before kissing him thoroughly.

When they pulled away Harry looked at her completely terrified and said, "So would it be okay if I write your father."

"About what?" Gin asked not following his train of thought.

"About the future...about our future...together?" he said timidly.

Ginny regarded Harry a moment and took in the sub-text to the conversation. "I think that my father is a fine man to discuss our future with. I am sure he would appreciate the thought...just remember to have the conversation with me eventually. One with nouns and verbs in the appropriate places."

"Oh...absolutely Miss Weasley."

"Now what are we going to do about Malfoy?" Gin asked.

"Leave him to me," Harry said in anger.

"Don't hurt him too much physically, please," Ginny begged.

"After everything he has done?" he questioned.

"After everything he has done," she answered.

"I won't promise that Gin."

"Okay," she murmured with dread in her heart, "then just don't kill him. If I'm right, he is still necessary...we are still going to need him alive."

Harry looked his girlfriend over carefully and knew she was still holding her tongue, "I won't hurt him beyond Poppy's ability to heal him."

"That's all I can ask...Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Punch him in the face for me once...kay?"

"With pleasure," he murmured before capturing Ginny in his arms and getting them back quickly to his room for proper making up.

TBC...

A/N: See...everything is okay. Everything will be okay. I promise Draco will have a broken nose next chapter. You will also get several answers to questions that have been plaguing you since the beginning of this story.

I will willingly take any suggestions of punishments for Harry to dish out. I may not use them all but I would still love to hear them.

You know what to do...REVIEW. REVIEW.


	10. The Malfoy situation

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy 

A/N: Okay...longer chapter... I will do my best to give you Harry and Ginny fluff in each chapter after this one...at least in part. We still need to talk to Hermione and Ron, mend things with Draco and Ginny, mend things with Draco and Hope, contact dear old Tom, test the new dark mark...and of course the epilogue to this thing is long enough to stand on its own. You will have to read all the really sexy parts on my site but you didn't mind last time so you'll be fine this time.

10.The Malfoy situation 

Draco woke up bleary eyed with a monster headache. He assumed it was a hangover from all the drinking he had done the night before not knowing that in fact it was from having Harry Potter take his passed out body out of his room, tied him to a column, and slammed his head into said column...It had been a bad night. Everything had gone completely wrong.

Once Draco realized that his plan did not go the way it was supposed to Draco had yelled, screamed, and promised retribution upon his pack. He then simmered and split off from his group. April had followed him blindly offering him more carnal pleasures to take his mind off things. He had given into the desire once more, but knew it couldn't continue, in particularly when he found himself ready to call out Hope's name.

For all her appearances as an idiot, April was actually quite smart. She gave Draco one last real kiss, "I understand, Draco. I'm glad for the time we were together...don't do to me what you're gonna do to everyone else and we're even." April got dressed, turned around and looked at the broken blond sex god lying naked on the floor and murmured, "I won't even go after Hope." With that she walked out of his life.

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Draco stayed away for a long time before he entered the Slytherin common room minus his entourage late the previous evening. If he had known what was waiting for him he would have not come back at all. Malfoy moved slowly to the door that led to his room only to find Hope waiting for him.

This was Hope's first attempt at speaking to him since she 'read' him a few weeks before. He had tried every manipulative way in the book to get Hope to confront him (cold shoulder, jealousy, rage) and nothing had worked. Logical people actually start conversations when they need to talk...not do heinous things to force the other party's hand...but hey this was Draco Malfoy. It's not like the kid ever heard of Freud.

"Hope...are you okay? What's wrong?" Draco asked ushering her into his room.

She refused to look at him for a moment then all the anger that her small body could possess came at him through her eyes before slapping him across the face. "What's wrong? What's wrong? That is all you have to say. You arrogant, self serving, bastard... I can't believe I ever thought there could be anything between us. You really are all the things they say you are... What was it all an act to gather information for the dark lord?" Hope screamed at him.

Draco was thankful for the permanent silence and locking charms he had on his door. "No...I... I wouldn't hurt you and Ginny like that," he pled.

Hope's eyes got large with shock then quickly moved on to exasperated. "Oh...so death is the only thing that can hurt us right? Not me having to watch you get a hand job from your girlfriend at dinner. Not Ginny having to see you harass and torture kids because of what their bloodline is. Not catch you looking at me with such pain that I couldn't keep your emotions out. Not actually poisoning Ginny...one of the two people you just mentioned. Oh no...You could never hurt us like that!" Hope yelled as she went to flee the room.

Everything in Draco crystallized in him at that moment. Hope was the only one that could ever remotely understand him so everything else be damned. He had to make her stay. "Hope, don't go," Draco called catching her wrist. This was a monumental mistake.

Hope looked him dead in the eye and altered the hold he had on her. Suddenly Draco was inundated with images and feelings of the pain he had caused Hope and then Ginny...including the two girls weeping together over the loss of their friendship with him. "Feel that Drake, that's what it feels like to actually lose someone you love. I'm sure it's unfamiliar...since you have never loved anything but yourself in this life!"

Draco tried to open himself to her so Hope would know exactly how he felt but there was a huge solid wall there between them. "Hope...please," he muttered.

Hope put her palm flat in the center of his chest before pushing every negative emotion she had felt in the last two months onto him. Draco crumbled to his knees with the raw grief he was inundated with. "Go to hell, Draco," she answered and left him alone in his room to drink himself silly.

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Harry sat staring at an unconscious Draco wondering how he was going to stop himself from killing the idiot in front of him. He had to smirk at the shock Draco was going to receive once he woke. The boy would probably scream then pee on himself. That thought made Harry smirk larger and more evil.

Harry was nothing if not sneaky. After consulting his mother, father and godfather about the situation James and Sirius were set to help in anyway they could...which meant passing on the knowledge of a glamour that was used by dark wizards in place of the polyjuice potion. It not only let you take the form of another but also their voice and mannerisms. It was nearly impossible to tell the difference between the individuals...as long as the one behind the glamour played the part well. Harry decided he was up for the acting job of his life. This was one time he was definitely going to take revenge...and not even his mother or Ginny would talk him out of it...not that either really was trying to stop him. They just wanted him to be careful. It of course helped that both his father and godfather had encouraged him to keep the Marauder dream alive by squashing his Slytherin opponent.

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Draco came back to himself still off kilter. He blinked a half dozen times before he realized he was in one of the towers without his cronies. However in front of his face was his mirror image. Suddenly he was in searing pain from having his nose broken by his double punching him in the face, which also caused his head to slam into the post behind him for a second time. "Wakey, Wakey Malfoy," his substitute said quietly.

"What the hell?" he groaned as he went to run his hand over his face it occurred to him he couldn't because his hands were tied behind his back.

The twin smirked, "No worries mate. I took care of everything for you today."

"You what?"

A punch came down incredibly fast against his cheek.

"Won't it be fun to find out what I have done with your life all day long…"

With the same speed and precision a punch landed on his other cheek.

Draco sat still while his twin receded into the darkness.

"You might want to avoid your lackeys for a while… after all, you just left them naked in Great Hall cause you promised punishment for their failure with Potter and Weasley."

Everything came into focus in a new way, remembering what Hope had said the previous night. "Gin...is she okay? Did something happen to her? Please...I don't care what you do to me, just tell me if Gin and Hope are alright?"

Draco's mirror image looked confused and a bit concerned before becoming very angry. "You." Punch. "Don't." Punch. "Get." Punch. "Worried!" Punch...so hard that Draco's teeth loosened.

Draco looked up pleadingly and spit the blood in his mouth to the side. "Please...Their the only friends I have...or had. Are they okay?"

The double grit his teeth and clenched his fists. Draco prepared for the next series of punches to be delivered, but they didn't come. "They're fine...no thanks to you. Ginny is still a bit loopy...not allowed to fly for a few days. Hope is emotionally walled off everyone at the moment. So while they are both mainly okay...they are each part broken too."

The blond Slytherin merely nodded as his doppelganger observed him.

Just as everything had crystallized in his mind the night before Draco suddenly knew, just as Ginny had her watershed moment a while back, this was his. He hung his head and murmured, "You had everything. You always had everything... I wanted everything with Hope...but I scared her off. She wouldn't touch me anymore and yet she would touch you...always coming into your arms for hugs. And then Ginny...you were going to take her from me entirely... I just wanted to make you know what it felt like to be as alone as I was."

"What?" his doppelganger muttered.

"You, Harry. Ginny and I were smashing until you got involved. We didn't really talk in public, just vented to each other away from behind the scenes through charmed notes and such. It was never like I thought we were going to get together...but the point is Ginny knew me without the pompous prick stuff. But I was your enemy so you 'banned' her from talking to me outside the group. And I mean she loves you so she doesn't want to lose you." He shrugged, "I was so hurt and pissed I just thought why not screw with you. I had lost my only real friends anyway and you weren't even going to try to understand. Your worst fear is loosing her so I made it happen. I guess I thought maybe she would come back to me when you were a jerk to her."

The other Draco took in the words being spoken. "I didn't ban her from anything Draco. I just asked that she not work alone with you...and not treat you like an emotional surrogate."

"I know...but it was easier to be mad at you than to be mad at Gin or Hope," he said with wisdom that on comes after copious amounts of alcohol or a spiritual epiphany.

Draco's double continued to gaze at him, "You could have hurt her, ya know? That potion she was slipped was really messed up. If Hermione and Ron hadn't found her in time Gin would be in a potion induced coma now."

Draco paled and genuine tears formed in his swollen eyes, "I would never hurt her intentionally. She's one of the only people that really know me. Believe me the person who screwed that up felt it."

"You're great at potions. Why didn't you do it?"

Malfoy breathed deep, "Because I could rationalize I didn't actually do anything to Ginny. I only screwed with you."

Harry passed his wand over his fake Draco body and started to turn back to himself. He faced his enemy before untying him and sitting beside him. "You've changed," the dark haired boy mumbled.

"I have. But not enough."

Harry observed Draco quietly. "You stopped picking on the Weasley's last year... You stayed away from Hermione... What happened? Why the change?"

Draco shrugged, "My father was cursed one too many times for my taste by that arrogant snake. I am too self-centered to follow some guy blindly. I didn't want to be a Deatheater... but I was going to die if I didn't become one. So I pulled a Snape and went to Dumbledore."

Harry's eyes went wide, "Do they know about him?"

Draco shook his head. "No...Snape knew something was wrong with me. He took the risk I wouldn't tell."

Harry looked at the other boy, "So..."

"So our assignment is to try to find a way to limit the Dark Mark's control and help find a way to reverse it."

Harry sat confused. "Why didn't I know this? Why wasn't I told?"

Draco looked at his 'arch nemesis' with a sad smile, "Because you're here to save the world. That's enough for anyone to deal with."

"But..."

"Look...Ginny needed a purpose, some way to feel like she mattered in the great scheme of things apart from you. Dumbledore did not want to run the risk of her resenting being Mrs. Harry Potter in the history books. She is far too independent for that fate. Once hearing my plight Dumbledore surmised that Ginny still had enough of Voldemort's magic inside her that she could potentially alter the mark its self without it being noticed by the bastard," Draco explained.

"Apparently Gin had come to Dumbledore on occasion about her past experience with Tom Riddle," he said carefully to alert Harry to his knowledge. "Ginny and I were in the same boat in a lot of ways. The war was going to kick into high gear and we would be swept along with the dark magic. We depended on each other last year and over the summer."

"The over the summer is the part I have a problem with," Harry announced.

"We only ever talked about the project or what we were dealing with on the 'dark' side, so to speak," Draco stated.

"And she wouldn't talk to me about it!"

The blond shook his head, "You have to face the bastard. Why would she advertise her fear that he was still in her? She got it together though."

"I know...I was there."

"So then, why worry about it?" Draco asked.

Harry looked at him like he was nuts, "This from the guy that poisoned my girlfriend so he could make me believe she cheated on me. Right. Why worry about it?"

"She loves you...not me."

TBC...

So was it enough physical violence? Did you like what I had Hope do to him? Did anybody guess what the trio was working on?

Come on...tell me...REVIEW.


	11. Making it work

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Long chapter...lots of things to read carefully. Especially this beginning part.

**11.Making it work**

The hospital wing was quiet as Harry snuck in using his invisibility cloak to snag some potions to heal Draco's face and Harry's knuckles. Gathering what he needed Harry attempted to leave but was faced with Dumbledore, Snape, and Poppy coming in the wing.

"I don't think it is wise to trust children with something this important," Snape snapped.

Dumbledore gave him a fatherly look, "Serverus, you know very well Miss Weasley is the only one able to do this. Part of having the three of them work together is letting them make the discoveries for themselves. She has to become comfortable with the magic she is tapping into. Mr. Malfoy must trust Miss Nigellus and Miss Weasley completely if he is going to believe that he will be protected. Miss Nigellus has done the best of all since her primary function was to unite those Slytherin that will not take Voldemort's side. She accomplished her task almost immediately...using her gifts in her favor with Mr. Malfoy turning his back on her."

"Do you really believe this is going to work Albus?" McGonagall said from the side. "Mr. Malfoy had Miss Weasley poisoned. I imagine Mr. Potter might well kill the boy."

"Have faith Minerva. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter have to negotiate their alliance in their own way. I never believed it would be a bloodless union. I have allowed many liberties in this situation to take place so that things would move forward."

Poppy sighed, "I do not like the idea of having to put Mr. Malfoy in such physical danger... Can we not give them a push in a safer direction?"

"What safer direction?" Snape snapped. "Believe me if there was anything else I would have been the first to try it."

"Which reminds me Serverus, Miss Weasley has requested that to turn over the memory of receiving the dark mark to her in the form of a pensive. I must say I was impressed with that bit of insight," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "Let's adjourn to my office to continue speaking." Harry watched as the teachers moved off before taking his leave.

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Harry left Draco after carefully ensconcing him in his room to avoid all other Slytherin. "Okay, here is the potion to heal the bruising, and this one will repair the broken bone in your nose, and this one will help with the loose teeth," Potter said as he sat Draco on his bed.

"Whatever," the Slytherin mumbled turning on his side lying down.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Going to sleep."

"You need to take that stuff."

"No I don't...I'll heal up like a muggle would."

Harry rolled his eyes. "That won't look suspicious or anything...now come on. Take the damn potions."

Draco sat up, downed each potion in turn and lay back down again. "Now leave me alone."

"Fine," Harry growled and left the other boy to wallow.

Harry had done nothing that would shock the Slytherins as punishment for failure. All who knew Draco would see his absence as him licking his wounds and avoiding public ridicule...not new concepts. Mainly Harry just wanted Draco hidden from Hope so she wouldn't have to deal with him...in particularly after the blond had confessed he had feelings for Hope. Not something Harry really wanted to think about.

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By the time Harry arrived at the Gryffindor common room Ginny was teary eyed and confused about her feelings. For Harry's part he just wanted the world to get back to normal...although it had been a long time since he could remember normal.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she answered.

The common room was mainly deserted. Ron and Hermione were standing watch over Ginny so no one could slip her anything else. Harry and Ginny had wisely decided to leave Draco's part of Ginny's poisoning out. They mainly said it was a dumb joke gone bad and left it at that. However Ron being the protective older brother that he was seemed reticent to go off alert.

Harry sidled up to Ginny to whisper in her ear about his adventure with the Ferret. "I...I punched him...a lot...broke his nose I think. I scared him. And I talked to him. I figured some stuff out too."

Ginny's bloodshot eyes regarded him a moment then turned to the side. "What did you figure out?"

"That your friendship with Draco is an important one no matter how uncomfortable it makes me. He was mad at you for not talking to him and hurt that Hope doesn't seem to want him...and I am someone you both love and turn to. He needed to hurt me. It is far easier to hate me than be angry at you." Harry ran his hand through his hair, "Hermione and Hope are some of my best friends. I share things with them I don't share with you. You are my best friend in the world but everyone needs someone other than his or her partner to talk to. When you are part of a couple, you are one unit. Sometimes you just need to be defined as yourself alone. Draco helps you do that," Harry stated.

Gin observed her boyfriend a moment, "What makes you think I still want to be friends with him after what he did?"

The raven-haired boy smiled, "Because in his own twisted way it was his statement of love for you. I know he is not actually in love with you...I think its more he is so happy to be loved for himself he doesn't know any other way to be... After finding out how sick you became, Draco broke up with April and pushed aside all of his 'friends'. He is very alone right now. Hope really let him have it last night. He's afraid he's lost you both forever... besides you still have to help him with the dark mark."

"He told you?" Gin asked quietly.

"Yeah. And I am so proud of you."

"There is nothing to be proud of yet."

Harry smirked, "Dumbledore has confidence in you. I dare say Snape will have even more reason to be nicer to you now. You might actually get him to lighten up a bit...maybe even smile."

The titan haired princess smirked back, "I hadn't thought of that. I think that would be worth the trouble...having Snape indebted to me."

"My little Slytherin," Harry murmured kissing the top of her head.

Harry moved Ginny toward his door. "Where are you going?" Ron asked.

Harry looked his friend over, "My room...I'm taking care of her." The authority behind the statement took Ron aback but he said nothing. Ron wasn't ever gonna understand what Harry had gone through when he thought he had lost Ginny. For that reason Harry made no apology for the protective and proprietary nature that spilled out in him. By the way Ginny was curling into him and touching his chest he was sure she enjoyed it.

"Come on Harry," Ginny whispered. "I want to be close to you."

Harry nodded and scooped her up in his arms leaving behind all thoughts of anything but Ginny.

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Ginny woke to find Harry staring at her touching her naked shoulder with his fingertips very lightly. "How long was I asleep?"

"We slept through dinner. I doubt anyone will care," he murmured bringing his mouth down to trace the path his fingertips had caressed.

She shifted so Harry's head lay on her breast and she ran her fingers through his hair. "Did you mean it Gin?" he asked suddenly.

"Did I mean what?" she answered.

"When you promised forever? Were you just trying to make the situation better or did you really mean it?"

Ginny looked at the top of Harry's head and for once wished for Hope's gift. She sighed and concentrated on her connection with Harry. Nothing earth shattering came to her so she just went with her gut that he was being insecure.

"Yes Harry...I meant it. I don't want to loose you for any reason."

"What if I loose you?" he whispered playing with her fingers.

"Loose me to whom?" she asked.

Harry's fearful eyes turned to her, "Draco, Colin, several guys with crushes on you... Death."

That's when she felt it, that old tug of fear from the past. "Death is an absolute Harry. I will be claimed some time...just like you will. You can't stop it."  
"I can't do this without you," he whispered.

"You won't have to," she stated with authority.

"Because we're too strong. He hasn't ever been able to kill you. He didn't kill me. He marked us both and together we will take him down... Death may not come in the war Harry. It may come years from now. We just have to live for today until we can live for always."

Harry smiled, "Aged beyond our years indeed."

Gin grinned at him, "What was that?"

"A concept I have trouble wrapping my head around."

Harry turned to his love once more, "What does it feel like when you tap his magic?"

Ginny observed him a moment then said, "Like I'm Alice falling through the rabbit hole."

"Hermione is lending you books again?" he asked.

"Most definitely," she answered. "Why did you want to know?"

"I want you not to be afraid of telling me...or freaking me out. You've seen me do wandless magic. I can stand to be amazed at your abilities."

"Flattering as that statement was...I am only using borrowed magic."

"And you are the only one who can...that is no small feat," he reminded her.

"You believe I can do this?" she asked quietly.

"I believe you can do anything...even forgive Malfoy."

"That was tricky."

"I am a Marauder."

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Harry's suspicion over the whole situation with Dumbledore was founded. Draco copped to trying out the polyjuice potion on himself to deliver the note as Dumbledore. So it seemed the headmaster never 'knew' that Draco had stopped being part of the sessions. This was compounded by the fact that Dumbledore gave Draco some information to take to their research sessions. Draco let Harry know that he would be at the meeting so in turn Harry could inform Hope and Ginny...both of whom were still very pissed at the blond Slytherin.

Harry was the first to arrive hiding under his invisibility cloak for a good seat. Draco was the next to arrive, but to him it seemed like he was the first. Harry knew that Draco had no clue how to play this and was therefore gearing up to be attacked. Harry heard the other boy mutter, "They'll forgive me. They'll forgive me...eventually they'll forgive me."

Ginny strolled into the meeting room and walked straight to Draco. The blond tried to sink into the background as much as possible. She just stood before him waiting to be acknowledged but no acknowledgement came. Harry had managed to convince her that for everybody's sake she needed to go ahead and fix things with Draco.

"Draco," Ginny barked. He refused to look up. "Answer me damnit."

Draco slid into his façade quickly, "What do you want Weaslette? Here to beg to be graced with my presence again?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and sat next to him. "Drop the attitude. I know you to well."

"A Weasley claiming to know a Malfoy...how very progressive the world has become."

"Look at me," she said gently. "I promise not to yell. I..."

Draco cut her off. "Why would I care if you yelled? We aren't friends. You don't care. We are back to normal- hating each other."

She sighed, "I don't hate you, Draco. I do care...and we are friends. I don't know how...but I promise to find a way to make it work...Remember, you aren't alone."

The façade began to crack, "And Potter? He isn't the one that told you not to talk to me Gin. You decided that. How could you do that to me? I needed you. And now you say we're gonna be friends again? How are you going to explain all this to Golden boy?"  
"I love him. He isn't going anywhere...but neither are you."

"He won't stand for us being close," he said dejectedly.

"You're wrong...Harry and I have already talked about this...about you." She paused, "Draco I was wrong to have used you like a back up boyfriend. I didn't even mean to. We weren't cheating but I wasn't working things out with Harry. I can make sure he is the boyfriend and you the best friend. I just need to be honest with him about us. He leans on Hermione in ways he doesn't with me... It didn't help matters that you acted as if you were 'the other man'."

Draco nodded, "So...what does this mean? Can we write again? Talk?"

"Yeah...sounds like a good place to start," she soothed. "I can't speak for Hope...but I want you back here working with us."

"I'll be here," he replied.

"Now that that is settled...I am really pissed at you!" Ginny snapped.

"For what?" Draco asked incredulously.

"You had me poisoned!" she said in exasperation.

"Oh that."

"Yeah that."

Draco groaned, "It wasn't supposed to poison you...just make you sleep."

"And Harry... that was what?" Gin asked.

He shrugged, "Hurt him for hurting me."

She shook her head, "Get over it...Its me you were mad at."

"Only partly...I was mad at Hope too."

Ginny took Draco's hand, "Draco I am going to say something that is going to hurt you but it needs to be said."

"What?"

"I was never yours...in fact I was most especially always his. I connect with Harry in a way I can't with any other person. It has nothing to do with heroics or being a goody-goody. It's about knowing the dark recesses and loving me anyway... I know you can love me but you don't know Tom the way Harry and I do."

"No offense Gin, but I don't want to love you in that way," Draco said carefully.

"Good, that's as it should be," Ginny answered.

"...but you aren't leaving right?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm not leaving...Furthermore I am going to attempt to get you and Harry to be in the same room tolerably if not comfortably."

"Yeah right, Ginny, I can get away with chatting on paper and Dumbledore project. It won't escape notice that I am anywhere near Potter."

"We'll start small."

TBC...

You know what will make me happy? Cookies...No...Fudge...Can't get that on this site... REVIEWS... Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. SOOOOOO...Please REVIEW.


	12. Making it up

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Sorry for the slightly slower than normal pace but I think it comes out better if I do.

**12.Making it up **

Harry still remained under the invisibility cloak as he eavesdropped on his girlfriend and his rival. He prayed that they wouldn't bring Hope into the conversation. Harry knew if Ginny believed that Draco really felt for Hope she would help Draco get her. That was not something Harry wanted... He didn't like Hope in that way but he didn't want her burdened with Draco. Fate however was not on his side.

Ginny smirked, "Okay... Now onto Hope. You are such a wanker to drop her like that. Me...I understand, but her?"

Draco lied not wanting to discuss this with Ginny, "She just reminded me is all...I couldn't do what I did if I didn't push you all away."

"Do you like her?"

"She's all right," Draco said in a non-committal way.

"No romantic type feelings... I've seen you staring at her."

"She's attractive...and funny... a Slytherin."

"Good things..." Ginny stared at him a moment, "Come on D. We both know you have a thing for her. When are you going to ask her out...without making a big show of it?"

"I can't," Draco stated.

"Why?"

"Because she hates me...and other reasons."

Gin shook her head, "I don't know about your other reasons but she doesn't hate you. You just hurt her...a lot."

Draco sighed, "You don't know all that she said to me after..." he gestured at her.

"Like I said...you hurt her. You just have to be honest and expect it to take time to fix."

"I'll do it tonight...if an opportunity arises... Happy?" he commented.

"Now that we're cool...yeah I'm happy," she answered. "I want you to be happy and I honestly believe that Hope can make you happy."

Harry stayed hidden but moved closer as Hope stormed into the room. She moved quietly, attempting not to bring Draco's attention down on her again...despite her entrance. Hope brought out her books cattycornered to the Slytherin Prince.

Ginny stood up and smiled, "Hi there Hope...How are you today?"

Hope looked at Ginny, then Draco with a glare, and then back to Ginny. "Fine," she muttered before immediately beginning to research.

"Well... I am still supposed to be resting. Poppy would have my head if she even knew I was here, so I am going to skip out tonight. "

Draco's eyes went big, "Um...are you sure?" He was about to be left alone with the girl of his dreams...not of the good right now.

"Yeah...I need cuddles from my boy...but first I need to chat with our Headmaster. Night."

Harry would have left with Ginny but he was morbidly curious about the conversation about to occur.

Malfoy looked up at Hope knowing this was going to be a difficult conversation. "Hello Hope."

"Hi," she responded curtly.

Draco looked uncomfortably, "How are classes?"

"Fine."

"Haven't had a chance to see you much lately."

Hope glared at him sharply, "Whose fault is that?"

Draco winced, "Mine...I know."

"Damn straight," she said in her typical American accent.

He swallowed, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever," she growled. "We covered this already."

"No...I'm sorry. I screwed up. You are one of my only real friends and I treated you awful."

"I just got to experience the Draco Malfoy everyone knows and hates...again," Hope said with venom.

He shut his eyes in pain, "I know. I'm sorry. I never wanted you to know him...that version of me."

"April seemed to enjoy him...you seemed to enjoy her too," she snipped.

Draco swallowed, "I broke it off."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be that guy anymore."

Hope looked at him with indignation, "Really? An easy lay doesn't interest you? From what I was told, Harry got to hear just how much you enjoyed her talented little hands... oh, wait. I got to see you orgasm at dinner because of her hands once. I should have known... What was that Draco? Why did you do that to me?"

Draco ran his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry...I don't know any other way to say it. I got lost for awhile there."

"Why was that anyway?" she questioned.

"I..." he began but censured himself.

"Come on Malfoy...It's not like you can make stuff worse between us."

Draco sighed, "The stuff with my dad, the Deatheaters...the stuff with Ginny just tipped the scale."

Hope glared at him, "That's bull. I want to know why you went about hurting me!"

His anger flared, "You rejected me!"

"How the hell did I reject you! You ran away from me and then started ignoring me, making out with random girls and then finally April. HOW DID I REJECT YOU?" she shouted.

"You pulled away...You saw it...her...and you pulled away. That is how you rejected me," Draco answered in the same loud tone.

Hope shook her head and sighed, "Draco...You were thinking about a lot of things right then. I am used to guys thinking about having sex with me or my friends or each other for that matter. I am not used to accidentally seeing the image of my child with a guy. I was shocked...that's all. If you had stuck around for two seconds or answered me when I called out to you I would have been able to explain. But you took off. I tried to talk to you but you just kept walking away until you started to make out with a girl every time you saw me coming... Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

He swallowed, "I think so...you pressed all your feelings into me, remember?"

"Don't be a smart ass."

Hope folded her arms and glared at him, "So..."

"So what?" Draco answered.

"Are we going to talk about Faith or not? Have you buried her or what?" she grumbled at him.

"I don't know what to say...I'm...I don't know what to say," he stumbled. "Well...the train...and the polyjuice potion and...getting even with Harry."

"That was going on for well over a month...since the train."

He shrugged, "It takes a month to brew that potion...and I needed enough."

Hope went wide eyed, "Are you telling me that all that time the three of us worked together you were plotting to hurt Ginny?"

"No...I...Look I had a vague notion that I would mess with Potter's head. The more time we spent together the less likely it was...but then that bastard went and picked Ginny up from one of our meetings and snogged her right in front of me...us. He gave me this smirk that I just wanted to rip off his face," Draco said angrily.

"Why did it bother you so? I know you two were sort of flirtatious but that is each of your personalities. I never thought that... do you like Ginny?" Hope asked looking away.

"No...Yes...just not in the way you are asking," he said.

"How then?" she questioned.

"She was the first person I let see me...the real me... And then he took her from me...he taunted me with it," Draco growled.

Hope shook her head, "You guys haven't exactly ever gotten along but...from what I saw on the train Harry was trying despite his insecurity. You are the one that pushed...you must understand why he would be territorial?"

"I guess...I just hurt. He was rubbing my nose in the fact that she chose him over me...that his needs came first," he responded. "It's just like at home. My father's needs came before everyone else's. My mother always catering to him and his needs."

"But you're okay...now...right?" Hope asked quietly.

Draco nodded, "Yeah...It's just...she's important to me... no one has ever really mattered before."

"And me...do I matter?" she asked quietly.

He looked down then at her shyly, "Yeah."

Hope straightened up, "Well good...you matter to me too."

"Yeah?"

They sat quietly a moment.

"Hope?"

"Yes Draco."

"Will you have dinner with me...tonight?"

"I always have dinner with you, Malfoy."

Harry smirked. Hope was not going to make this easy on Malfoy.

"I meant with me..." She raised her eyebrow. "Fine...Go with me to Hogsmeade?"

"Now that is more like it Mr. Malfoy...but no. Until you are ready to talk to me about Faith and what she meant, I won't be going out with you. When you grow up then we'll see."

"I suppose that's fair," Draco muttered but reached over and stroked Hope's hand. She looked up at him with a slightly awed gaze. Draco collected his book and moved next to Hope on her side of the table before taking her hand. Hope could only look at him dumbfounded before Draco kissed her brow. "Close your mouth luv. You'll catch flies."

Harry could only smile...Things were as they should be...now.

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Harry managed to use a falling book as a distraction so he could sneak out of the study room and scurry away undetected. Just as he was about to reach the Gryffindor portal he was tugged to the side. "Heard anything interesting today Harry?" Ginny asked with a smug smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh nothing...just did you really think you could hide under your cloak and I wouldn't notice you?"

Harry bit his lip, "Yes actually I thought I could."

"Wrong." Ginny regarded him for a moment, "So did Draco get the guts to ask her out?"

"Yeah...but she's gonna make him work for it. She kept talking about some girl named Faith. Is she a Slytherin?" Harry commented.

"Don't know. Maybe."

Harry smirked, "They're well suited for each other."

"That they are...just like," Gin said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "we are well suited for each other." She murmured against his skin.

Harry gripped Ginny's hips possessively, "That we are." He pinned her to the wall kissing her softly while rocking his lower body against her.

"Want something Harry?" Gin asked sucking on his earlobe.

"Oh yeah," Harry panted. "My room...now."  
Ginny ran a finger over his lips, "Calm down there, Seeker boy. I need to be taking it easy. I have already over exerted myself a few times of late."

Harry nuzzled her neck, "How bout I give you a long, relaxing backrub and you sleep in my room tonight?"

"I really like the fact you are Head boy some times."

"So do I," and with that Harry moved them as quickly into his room as possible.

TBC...

Repeat after me: Joy's birthday is tomorrow so I will REVIEW as a present. Joy's birthday is tomorrow so I will REVIEW as a present.

Thank you.


	13. Telling the secret

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Thank you all for my birthday reviews. It meant a lot. You will need to forgive me if I slow down typing for a bit. I went to say a tiny little dog from the street and my dog decided to trip me. My palms are recovering raw hamburger at the moment. Ironically both dogs are fine. My dog has no idea what he did and the little dog that had run away, her owner showed up just after I fell. On the positive side my husband got me a little 10' Marvin the depressed robot doll from Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (Yea Alan Rickman.) Also my best friend from high school that I just started to write again dropped me a birthday email. I haven't seen this guy or talked to him in about six or seven years... and he remembered my birthday. That is what you call a friend.

**13. Telling the secret**

Snape, albeit reluctantly, turned over a pensive with his memory of watching others and himself receive the Dark Mark to Dumbledore who then passed it along to his trio. Things were shaping up nicely in Dumbledore's mind. Ginny, Draco and Hope were all responding well to their Occlumency lessons. It was becoming increasingly important that their minds be guarded from others and especially Ginny's mind from Tommy Boy. If anyone had told Dumbledore that he would be teaching three students at his school dark arts magic he would have scoffed but it became more apparent as time went on that while Harry would be the one to face Voldemort, Ginny would be the one to keep his mind occupied...not that Dumbledore had spelled that out for her yet but he was fairly sure she had put the pieces together already.

Draco had discovered from Snape's pensive the exact nature of the Dark Mark. He recognized the basic spell from one of his many volumes he read over the summer. Once identifying the proper text it was easy for them to tease out the specifics and the intent.

The Mark was a blended spell that infused the desires of the caster to the nervous system of the recipient. The basic spell was actually an ancient mating spell used by werewolves to take a human mate. There was something of a magical tattoo placed on both parties, indicating to all other beings the human was marked and protected as well as letting all other werewolves know not to bother since wolves mate for life. The spell linked the individuals, let them draw strength from one another, feel each other's emotions, and call out to one another.

Voldemort had altered the Mark so that the positive effects were entirely one sided. The base spell was meant to be eternal but was able to be broken in the event that one partner would die. As the body began to shut down the tendrils of magic would disengage. Magic did not provide for a flat lining situation. A resurrection spell could be enacted but in this case Muggle 'magic' was safer.

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Ginny's glee was overwhelming when she realized what they had in front of them. "Do you mind if I tell Harry?" she asked the group.

"No," Hope shook her head.

"Go on and find him," Draco offered.

"Where will you be?"

Draco shrugged, "My rooms safest."

"Okay," Ginny gave a slight nod and was out the door.

"Your room is Safest?" Hope asked incredulously.

Draco gave a lecherous smile to his Hope sitting beside him.

"What?" she asked.

"We...need to celebrate," he replied.

"Do...we?"

Draco took Hope's hand in his and began to kiss up the inside of her arm. He dragged the tip of his tongue over the soft skin where her lower arm and upper arm met. "We do," he murmured.

"Okay that last thought you had...I am not even considering," she stated firmly.

"Not ever," he asked moving her hair off of her neck to kiss her throat from behind as he pulled her from her chair back against his chest.

"No," she whimpered.

"How about," he began as he took his left hand letting one finger barely brush the bottom of her breast before spreading his fingers out over her abdomen, "after I fill this space right here," he continued to kiss her neck as he rubbed her stomach, "with our little girl? Hmmm...might relax you?"

"You are really good at that," Hope muttered softly.

"And you are wonderfully responsive," Draco countered before taking her mouth in what she anticipated to be a very carnal kiss but ended up being very loving.

With big eyes she looked at him, "We're going to save you Drake."

He smiled back, "I know...I trust you."

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"We got it," Ginny announced proudly to Harry in front of Hermione and Ron.

"You're kidding. That's great. I'm so proud of you," Harry congratulated her hugging and kissing her forgetting their audience.

"Can we know yet or are we still in the dark?" Hermione pouted.

The couple pulled away slightly embarrassed although Harry was plotting in his own mind.

"Let's go for a walk," Ginny stated as they made their way to the Room of Requirements.

Once inside the inquisition began. "So what is this all about?" Ron asked glad to finally be included in the loop again.

Ginny cleared her throat, "Voldemort is gathering followers again. A few students have been considered to bare the dark mark. Pansy and Draco were the only two agreed on. Draco has seen what 'loyalty' to Voldemort brings...a whole lot of pain and curses. He asked for help. For the last several months we have been trying to find a way to lessen the effects of the Dark Mark on the barer as well as a way to remove it completely."

"Wow," Ron mumbled. "You've been working on all that."

"Yeah well..." Ginny shrugged bashfully.

Harry wrapped his arm around her, "And she has been doing an excellent job. She is finally gonna get to stick it to Tom."

Ginny had to chuckle before she noticed Hermione's frown. "What's wrong?"

"Why couldn't you tell me?" Hermione asked.

Gin sighed, "You weren't meant to know...You, Ron and Harry are the golden three. You are always together...always a team. When the war goes down, it will still be you three together. I know that. I am not going to try to interfere with that. But Mione I have something no one else in the world has."

"What's that?"

"An echo of Tom Riddle's magic. He lived in me for nearly an entire school year. He stretched the boundaries of my magic. He impressed some of his talents on me. Tom basically wore me like I was a glove Mione. Once he was gone I couldn't really return to the way I was before. I have fought so hard against that part that he left behind in me...that dark place he stretched out that will never go back completely. Now I can use it. Now, I can use that part that he left in me to hopefully save Draco...and Snape."

"I still don't understand," Hermione countered.

Ginny sat down next to her friend, "You are smart and clever and amazing at everything you do. Ron is brave and kind and loyal to a fault. You two balance Harry completely... strategically. I'm not like you...any of you. Harry and I are connected...we love each other. That does not necessarily mean I am the best person to be at his side in battle. You and Ron will be Harry's cover while he fights Voldemort...just like you always have. I will be dealing in far darker matters because I can."

"Why Ginny?" Ron asked. "Why not stand with us?"

Ginny looked at her brother, then her love, and finally back to her brother. "Because Ron, I'm not innocent little Ginny Weasley anymore. She died when I was eleven. Tom Riddle killed her in the Chamber of Secrets. _I am_ who woke up Ron...I'm not the innocent anymore. That dark place inside all of us is very close to the surface with me. It's very close to the surface with Draco and Hope. The three of us battle and hurt and fight to stay above water everyday. And while Harry definitely has his own dark place to contend with, it's not the way it is for the Slytherins and I. See the reason the Slytherin house exists isn't because they needed a place to put all the evil students Ron. Slytherin exists because there needs to be a safe place for those who walk the line between dark and light can live, study and learn."

She continued, "You need to take your place in the war as a champion for light and protection. I need to take my place on the line because most people can't walk it. I can...I have...I will continue to. It is who I am now. It's the reason why I was supposed to be in Slytherin... but I asked to be put elsewhere. I now know that my place in the shadows is just as important as your space in the light. While you will be up front I will be working from beneath."

"What does this mean specifically Ginny?" Hermione asked.

The redheaded girl took a deep breath, "I'm not entirely sure yet...I have been spending a lot of time getting in touch with that part of myself that was stretched by Tom's magic. I will use that magic to put a dark mark of sorts on Draco as a test run. Once we know it works I will infuse that magic with Snape's mark and hopefully give him more control. I will spend a lot of time learning darker magic...it's the only way I will be able to keep the connection going with Snape and eventually Draco."

"I can't believe this. Do mum and dad know about this?" Ron questioned.

"No...and they aren't meant to know. I only told you this because you were so hurt to be left out. Now you know," Ginny stated.

"This doesn't bother you?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry looked at his friend in question, "Does what bother me?"

"This dark arts stuff?"

"You do realizes I'm gonna have to throw one or two unforgivables to get rid of old snake eyes, don't you?" the raven-haired boy responded.

"Yeah but..."

"So what right do I have to judge Gin? Ron, you're forgetting both Ginny and I were slated for Slytherin but asked to be placed elsewhere," Harry explained. "Look I know Ginny won't step over the line...but the thing is Ron, someone has to walk it. I would prefer Ginny whom I trust walking that line more than anyone else. She fought hard against Voldemort to remain a person her first year...that is a lot to ask of anyone at any age. She can handle this. You have to trust her to be able to handle it."

Hermione sighed, "Alright...so the dividing line now is between us and you...in the shadows?"

"No Hermione. You wanted to understand, so I did my best explaining. I'm not supposed to have told you any of that. Cut me some slack here," Ginny stated.

"We just need some time to adjust," Ron said and led Hermione out of the room.

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Ginny turned to look at Harry pitifully as he rubbed her arm. "They'll come around... right now though, lets find Hope and Draco to celebrate."

Gin smirked, "Actually I think they are celebrating quite well on their own...in Draco's room."

"Oh really...that's a little fast isn't it?" Harry asked.

"Snogging Harry...just snogging. He's not getting any if that's what you're asking... In fact I would hasten to say that you Mr. Potter are further up the base chart than Mr. Malfoy."

"Is that right?" Harry said teasingly. "Well, as long as he is not trying to score tonight I won't worry."

"Why do all guys respond to sports analogies with sex? Hmmm?" Gin asked.

"Because as a Weasley once told me, 'Males are uncomplicated. We like good drink, good food, good sports and want to see a woman naked.'"

"Which Weasley said that?" Gin asked.

"One of the twins," Harry answered.

"Of course...how silly of me to ask?"

After a short pause, she smirked at him and said, "So head boy, how bout we go use your room for celebrations."

"I don't know Gin...how far around the bases am I gonna get?" he teased.

"You're about to get a groin injury if you aren't careful slugger."

"No more sports analogies," Harry contended.

"Fine...I'll race you to your room," Ginny said taking off in a sprint.

"Oh Miss Weasley, I'll get you, my little Snitch," he yelled after her.

"I thought we were done with sports, there Seeker Boy," she yelled over her shoulder just as Harry caught up to her and spun her around.

He pinned her to the wall with his body kissing her for all she was worth.

"Potter...get a room," Draco called with a laugh his arm slung around Hope heading off from somewhere.

Harry pulled his head back and looked at his girlfriend, "You lying little..."

"Catch me if you can Potter," she taunted and took off toward his room again with Harry in hot pursuit.

TBC...

Okay now for all of you that didn't give me a birthday review...PLEASE. It will make me smile despite my hamburger hands. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW.


	14. Draco & the new dark mark

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Once again thanks for the reviews. I appreciate the effort on the readers' parts to comment. Oh, can someone explain to me about C2 groups? I just don't get them.

**14. Draco and the new dark mark**

Dumbledore was very proud of his little trio and their accomplishment. He went over the spells with Snape and McGonagall very carefully the group had identified as being involved before pronouncing it a success. Dumbledore knew since Ginny's assault and her comment about hearing Voldemort in her head that the bond was not entirely broken and could be manipulated. Unbeknownst to any, Albus felt sure that Tom Riddle was actually touching Gin's mind during the attack. How that would play out in the future was of great concern.

Ginny ended up taking extra lessons from Dumbledore with Harry to walk that fine line between light and dark. Dumbledore focused more light spells with Harry and darker spells with Ginny. After about a month Dumbledore believed that Ginny was ready to attempt the spell to create the dark mark on Draco without using up her magical reserves.

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On a cloudy Friday afternoon Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Madame Pomfry (who actually did know about muggle medicine), and Harry (who insisted on being present) all watched nervously as Ginny of all people cast the Dark Mark spell on Draco. The general belief was since Tom Riddle had possessed Ginny hopefully enough of a remnant of him was left that she would carry the power necessary to do the spell. Draco had absolute confidence and trust in his best friend as he prepared to 'die'.

The dying part was the part Ginny was scared about. Madame Pomfry would attach an IV to Draco then give him a muggle medicine to stop his beating heart. In theory, that should allow the mark to lose its hold. Once the mark was completely gone Poppy would inject Draco with epinephrine to start his heart again. If that didn't work there was always the resurrection spell...but that was a last resort.

Harry stood worried about everything that was about to transpire. Ginny was about to attempt a spell that most grown wizards couldn't perform...hadn't preformed in generations. He knew it would cost her physically and emotionally. Draco would suffer the same fate. That was Harry's real fear. The one thing he always had over Draco was the bond he and Ginny shared forged in the Chamber of Secrets. It was a mystical bond... and now Ginny was about to form a magical bond between herself and Draco. Harry could only hope that when the day was done, things wouldn't have changed. It was stupid really but he hadn't wanted Gin to know how insecure Draco's 'prank' had really made him.

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy...take your positions," Dumbledore stated quietly.

"You don't have to do this Mr. Malfoy," Poppy stated obviously still concerned.

"Am I going to die if I don't get the mark?" Draco asked. No one said anything. "That's what I thought... Let's get this done.

Ginny faced Draco and gave him a nodded. "Not gonna bat bogey curse me again are you Gin?" Draco teased to lighten the mood.

"I might if you don't shut your trap and let me concentrate," she teased back.

Ginny breathed deeply several times and lowered her head. Harry had seen her practice drawing on the power left inside her before but it never got easier to watch. She snapped her head up and stared deeply at Draco with bright yellow eyes before speaking the ancient words. The spell was cast and the bond was formed. Both Ginny and Draco gasped deeply.

"Gin!" Harry called as she fell back. He was there in time to catch her.

Ginny's eyes were back to their normal chocolate color but the magic was too intense. Her nose was bleeding, as was one of her ears. "O...K...check...Draco," she panted.

"Poppy's there. You are my concern," he soothed as he wiped the blood away and looked to Dumbledore who bore an uneasy look on his face, as did Snape. Harry looked to his girlfriend again to see she had passed out briefly in his arms.

"That shouldn't have happened," Snape said quietly. "Has it happened before?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "She tapped something uncharted."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Her eyes Harry...that hasn't happened before," Dumbledore noted.

Harry stared at his headmaster, "She owned her magic. She became it...just like she was supposed to. Why does this worry you?"

"Potter, it appeared to me that she actually tapped into Voldemort," Snape noted.

"I would imagine so...its what she has been striving for all along," Harry contended.

"She was to tap her own magic that he touched...not touch him," Dumbledore explained. "I am afraid he might learn of what we are doing."

Harry shook his head, "He will be arrogant enough to believe she is missing him if anything." The older men looked unconvinced.

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McGonagall and Madame Pomfry were focused on Draco as Ginny woke snuggling in Harry's arms. Harry got Ginny situated in a chair and went to check on his former nemesis. Low and behold the Slytherin Prince bore the Dark Mark, which was ironic because he was grinning like an idiot.

"Malfoy...Draco...you still with us mate?" Harry inquired.

"Yeah...Merlin...Can I keep this?" the white haired boy asked.

"Why?" Snape sneered.

"Because if this is the way she feels everyday, then I don't want to give up the connection."

Harry chuckled, "Voldie is going to recognize this as not his magic, D." He attempted to help Malfoy stand only to have the other boy get weird on him.

"Hey get away from me..." Draco pushed off.

"What'd I do?" Harry questioned.

"Nothing," he said uncomfortably as Harry stared at him. "I just don't like feeling her feelings for you...it's a bit creepy."

Harry jumped back as Ginny giggled.

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Dumbledore and the other teachers checked the mark over, tested its bonds, and pronounced it a success. "Now how is this supposed to work once I get the real thing?" Draco asked.

"Well as you know Mr. Malfoy, Voldemort took the spell used on you and modified it. Since it is a modernization if you will of the other spell we believe the older magic will get under the bonds," Dumbledore explained.

"I'm confused again," Draco admitted.

"Do you understand what a tattoo is in theory?" Harry asked. The blond boy nodded. "Think of the mark Voldemort gives you as a tattoo...something embedded in the skin itself. The mark Ginny will give you is like something actually placed under the skin. It doesn't really matter what is done to the skin itself because there is something underneath...something deep to block its effects."

"See there was a point to you living with those muggle wankers after all, mate," Draco said jovially.

"Okay, get that thing off him...he's beginning to scare me with his happiness," Harry instructed as Ginny once again laughed.

"No more than it scares me, Potter. I don't like feeling like the sun and the moon show in your eyes."

Harry smirked at Ginny, "Sun and the moon?"

"Hey, he's the cocky one. Not you," Gin corrected her boyfriend who came over and kissed her forehead.

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"Come now Mister Malfoy. Are you ready to try to remove it?" Madame Pomfry asked.

Draco sighed, "Yeah." He hopped up onto the bed made for him. Gin sat next to him and held his hand as IV was attached. "Ow...that hurt."

"It's a needle Draco...Small piece of pointed metal that is hollow in the center," Harry explained.

"Muggles are still in the Dark Ages, I swear," Draco fussed.

Poppy looked at him sympathetically, "What's going to happen now is medicine from this vile is going to feed into this tube. The medicine will slow down your heart until it stops. These syringes over here are full of a medicine that will start your heart again. We always have the resurrection spell ready if necessary."

"Do it."

Draco gripped Ginny's hand as the medicine permeated his body. His eyes began to lose focus but he just kept looking a Ginny. "Thank you," he whispered then shut his eyes.

In fascination the occupant of the room watched each line of the image on his arm disappear until there was nothing left.

Draco was still. His body emitted no breath. It was then that Poppy pumped his chest and administered epinephrine to revive him.

Draco sucked in a giant breath and coughed deeply and repeatedly.

Ginny was by his side in a second, petting his head. "D...It's Gin. You're okay. I got ya."

"Don't let me fall," he croaked.

"Never."

The audience didn't get it. "Inside joke," Ginny said off hand.

TBC...

Next chapter: Draco and Harry have a heart to heart. Very weird I know.

Now be sweet and REVIEW for me. PLEASE!


	15. Uncommon allies & old friends

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: I'm sorry people got confused last chapter. I'm the writer so it makes sense to me. Here's a short version of last chapters activities to help. PLEASE READ: Ginny cast the spell that the Dark Mark is based off of. The reason Harry got uptight was it is a bounding/mating spell for werewolves to claim a human mate. The spell can only be broken if one of the partners dies. Madame Pomfry basically stopped Draco's heart so the spell would break. Once the mark disappeared Poppy jump-started his heart. I hope that answers everyone's questions.

**15.Uncommon allies and old friends long gone**

With the success of the test Dumbledore and Snape moved off to the side to discuss the applications of all that had happened that afternoon while McGonagall and Madame Pomfry stayed with the teens.

"Did it work?" Draco asked with his eyes shut.

"Yeah. It worked...though I don't look forward to doing that again," Gin admitted.

He smiled and half laughed. "Hear that Potter? She doesn't want to live without me."

Harry heard the inherent joke in the statement. He calmed himself by internally saying, 'Like Ron would.' Harry teased back, "Yeah well, keep your dirty mitts off...she's mine." He grinned, "Besides there would be hell to pay with Hope if you did."

Draco smiled huge at the mention of his girlfriend's name, "Yeah...my little hell cat is amazing... Is she here or did she have to stay in class?"

"I dropped her a note so she should be here," Harry said. "What she sees in you I'll never know."

Draco smirked, "Back at you Potter."

McGonagall brought Hope into the hospital wing, who took Ginny's former seat. "You were supposed to tell me when the test was, so I could sneak in you tosser," she said using the British-ism while hugging him.

"Dumbledore warned me against it," he contended.

Hope looked to the headmaster, "Why couldn't I be here? Harry got to be here and he isn't even involved in the research."

"First of all I do not believe you would have been able to separate yourself enough for the spell to have not effected you. I have no idea what would have happened with an empath in the room...And as for Harry...Well Mr. Potter, why are you here?" Dumbledore questioned.

He looked bashful, "Because I'm an insecure git."

"Damn right," Gin and Draco said in unison.

"It doesn't help when they do things like that," Harry fussed playfully.

Dumbledore wordlessly summoned Ginny to him as she chuckled at her boyfriend, "I will see you all later. I need to talk to the headmaster and Professor Snape."

"Bye Ginny," Hope called while watching Ginny and the adults leave.

Harry looked uncomfortable with the blond Slytherin boy beside him. "Sorry about...well...being here... I am glad you made it work and I do admire what you are doing."

Draco paused taking in Harry's expression before saying, "What I told you before was true. She loves you. Don't doubt that, no matter what I say."

Harry shook his head. "Its not her love I doubt. Its her faithfulness in the emotional stuff that scared me," he confessed.

Hope moved off from the conversation to allow the boys to bond a little more. Once the conversation took a serious turn, she positioned herself so she could see and hear everything without being obvious.

Draco looked down, "I can't help you there other than to say if she grumbles to me I will defer her to you."

Harry opened up to his former enemy for some unknown reason...well unknown to all but Hope who was affecting both guys. "That's the problem. What do I do when I naturally turn to Hermione or Hope when things go wrong? The problem I have is those relationships have never exceeded the friend parameters in any way other than to become more sisterly... I have a hard time seeing it as the same... Gin talked to you when she wouldn't talk to me. She would lay out her heart to you while building a wall with me. I don't know how to trust that."

Draco thought hard for a long while, "You're right...that is what happened but you worked out a lot of things this summer. You had her heart again...not that you really lost it... I just mean..." The blond boy shook his head; "I know what happened to Ginny last year. I know what happened to Ginny her first year to...thanks to daddy dearest. Despite all the screwed up stuff that caused, you two were able to come to a compromise and deal with it...without me getting in the way. You fixed it on your own."

Harry grit his teeth, "But at the end of the year she was..."

"Potter," Malfoy said in an authoritative tone, "one night I found Gin in the halls balling her eyes out. If Hope and I had a fight and the same thing happened I would no worry." Harry was quiet. "Look, she sees what she was doing now. She isn't going to make the same mistake again. She loves you too much. There isn't anybody else but you to her...As weird as it sounds just trust me on this. Most of the time we just insult teachers back and forth, complain about classes, and if it got serious it was generally reassurances on Gin's part that I am doing the right thing."

Harry smiled, "I have it easy. I was born on my side. You have to chose."

"I've chosen."

"Good...now get sleep and feel better...And thanks."

"Whatever Potter."

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Harry got back to his room and collapsed on his bed. The day was emotionally exhausting. He knew he needed to get over what happened this summer...he needed to get over Malfoy's painful prank. It wasn't fair to Ginny that every time he thought about the difficulties they had that last summer he got flashes of the doppelganger giving Draco a hand job in the hall. It totally and completely sucked.

"Psst...Psst..." a little voice said from his left. Harry looked to the picture of his godfather and smiled.

"Yes, Sirius...do you have something you want to share with the class?" Harry teased.

"Hey I don't want to get in trouble ya know," Sirius stated.

"Like hell you don't. You've been dead over a year and a half. Dumbledore knows you talk to me from time to time. No one is going to revoke your picture talking rights," Harry answered.

"Well fine... What are you so huffy about tonight?" Sirius asked. "Oh wait...let me guess... The fiery redhead that was in your bed last night saying your name over and over at louder and louder volumes before she knocked me and your parents right off the nightstand with her flaring arm as you ate her out?"

Harry turned pink; "You just love doing that to me, don't you? I swear you get off on watching me and Ginny."

"Its not like I'm getting off here," Sirius stated, "...much."

"Oh I don't even want to know what that means and if it involves my parents in any way, shape or form I want to know about it even less."

"Okay...ewww..." Sirius said like a teenage girl. "Secondly...I have run into an old girlfriend on this side and I see her occasionally."

"Whatever...ghost sex is not something I want to know about," Harry said rolling his eyes.

"So I see you got the letter back from Arthur and Remus sent you the ring, so..."

"So..." Harry fussed.

"Well," Sirius stated. "When are you going to ask her?"

"Soon."

"How soon?"

Harry shook his head, "We're too young. She's gonna say no... she's gonna think I am proposing because of the war."

"Well...that's partly true. The war does factor in...but Ginny is not gonna say no and as for being too young - under the circumstances you are far older than your years. You both are. You have known this was the right course from almost the beginning Harry. You two belong together," Sirius stated emphatically.

"I wish I had your confidence," Harry groaned.

"Don't worry my boy. You'll be fine... Now your girl is on her way. Don't let her knock us off again."

"All right."

Ginny walked in the room looking around, "I thought I heard voices."

Harry tugged Ginny by the hips to come sit with him on the bed, "You did. Sirius and I were chatting."

"Were you now?" Gin asked wrapping her arms around his neck. "Anything interesting I should know?"

"Yes," Harry muttered looking deep in her eyes before rolling her over to lie on her back on his bed.

"And that is?" she asked coyly carding her hands through his hair as he kissed her neck.

"Be careful with your arms when you orgasm. You knocked Sirius and my parents off the nightstand last night," he said matter-of-factly while Ginny's eyes popped out.

TBC...

I am too tired to come up with anything creative so please REVIEW just to make me happy and let me know how things are going.

A/N: Gin and Harry are going to have a miscommunication next chapter...be prepared.


	16. Lets talk about sex

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm giving you a bit of smut. I promise you will get a full on sex scene in the future.

**16. Lets talk about sex**

Harry woke to the wonderful feeling of Ginny in his arms. This was his favorite part of the weekend. Ginny spent the night every Friday and Saturday. He loved waking up next to her. He loved that she was his with no pretense. He just loved her.

He traced his fingertips down her naked shoulder gently. She moved a little under the covers indicating she was waking. She however was not awake enough to realize that the sheet covering her torso had slipped down, exposing her breasts to Harry's hungry eyes. Desire rose up inside him...and outside as well.

"Morning luv," he murmured into her neck even as his fingertips now traced the underside of her breast.

"Morning hot-stuff," she muttered back.

"Hot-stuff, huh? I like that," Harry said even as he kissed down her chest ready to capture her right nipple between his lips.

"And I like that," she groaned as he sucked at her like a newborn baby. She wrapped her legs around his torso to pull him closer.

"Strong little thing, aren't you?" he teased.

"Should be. Quidditch and all that," she moaned in response to his attentions.

Harry loved tempting Ginny with his body. He loved how responsive she was too him. More than anything he loved the way his name would roll off her tongue over and over as he pleased her. It also helped to have her murmur to him her love and admiration.

Drawing himself up further, Harry kissed Ginny's lips as they rocked against each other. Feeling his sex slide along hers, getting wet from her excitement nearly did him in as Ginny climaxed. In frenzied moments when their bodies had lined up Harry had nearly pushed into her. It slightly disturbed him to know he could get so into the sensations he was experiencing that he might not take care to insure Ginny's comfort. Of course that thought flew from his head when Ginny stroked the head of his favorite appendage causing him to cover her hand with his seed.

Their morning seduction continued on as normal until they were both panting and sated. They had followed the twins and their girlfriends' advice to the letter. They satisfied each other in every way...other than intercourse. That morning was no different until Ginny started to talk.

"So I have been thinking," she said causally.

"About what my dear," he responded still nuzzling her neck. Ginny would never have to ask for cuddles because Harry naturally craved the physical affection.

"About us having sex. I want you to be my first... I think we're ready. What do you think?" Ginny stated out of nowhere.

Despite his earlier thoughts on the matter Harry had decided that until Ginny was at least wearing his engagement ring he would hold off pursuing that avenue. Unfortunately the way Ginny chose to approach the subject left a lot to be desired.

"Your first?" Harry questioned. "Are you kidding me?" he muttered sitting up and getting to his boxers.

Gin eyed him cautiously. "No...I'm not kidding," she said drawing the sheets up around her body.

Harry stared at her a moment, running through all the different things he could say at the moment and none of them were productive so he got dressed. "I need to take a walk," he stated not looking back at her.

Ginny stared at the space Harry had just been occupying and began to cry.

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Harry and Hermione had continued their promise to one another to help each other out when their beloved Weasleys didn't make sense to them. Even with all the stain of the last few months they had continued to be there for one another. Hermione knew Harry had asked Arthur for permission to marry Ginny. She also knew all about the visions Harry had about his future with Gin. Hermione may not agree with Harry wanting to marry Ginny as soon as humanly possible but she understood him and his heart.

Harry knew Hermione would be up at that early hour because she always was, Saturday or not. "Hermione…" he called running up behind her. "Hermione I need to talk to you."

"Sure Harry."

"Ginny wants to have sex."

Hermione blinked several times, "Excuse me."

"Please don't make me say it again," Harry groaned.

"I thought you'd be happy."

"Happy? This is torture. I've never felt this way before Mione. I've never felt the desire to make love to someone before. I'm a guy so seeing a hot girl does tend to think about sex. This is just so different."

"I don't understand. What's the problem?" Hermione asked.

Harry struggled a moment to collect his thoughts, "She wants to have sex. She wants to have the experience…its how we got together. She decided she wanted me to be her first kiss, so I was. This isn't an expression of her feelings toward me, no thoughts that we are going to continue to be together…This is sex, not making love. She wants to lose her virginity to me and not someone else. That generally implies she thinks there are going to be those who come after me. This just isn't what I want and for the life of me I can't think of a way to tell her that."

Hermione took in what she heard. "Let me do a little reconnaissance. This maybe a simply miscommunication okay?"

"Okay."

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"Ginny," Hermione called her friend who was playing with her hair nervously pacing about Harry's room. "What's wrong?" She could tell Ginny had been crying.

"Harry…we've been going great. I just…" Ginny paused, "Why are boys so confusing?"

Hermione saw her chance, "What happened…specifically?"

"It's kind of personal," the redhead hedged.

"Come on...This is me. I know you and I have been sort of distant but we were so close this summer," the head girl stated.

"We haven't really talked about sex in awhile, Mione. It's a little uncomfortable for me. You have disapproved of almost everything I have done this ye..."

Hermione rolled her eyes and cut her friend off. "Ron and I haven't had intercourse yet but really enjoy oral sex…there. Now we've talked about sex recently," she said flatly.

Ginny's eyes got big then nodded. "It's just…"

"Come on… I have Harry in a near panic over you earlier today. Just tell me your side please."

Ginny thought and started to vent. "He won't initiate hardly anything physical with me at all...before this summer. He takes over just fine and leads once I bring it up but he won't make the first move on anything major."

"That makes sense," Hermione commented.

"How?"

"Harry is very respectful. He would never want to worry he had forced you into something. If you initiate it then he knows what you want."

Ginny nodded, "Exactly my thinking...So we have been pretty much doing the same type of physical stuff for a while now. He and I are doing really well. He trusts me with Draco again. Harry and Draco are starting to actually get along. I am doing well in my classes. So I felt like this was an okay time to bring up us having sex…wanting to be with him first."

Hermione held up her hands, "Stop right there… so you want to be with someone else down the road?"

"What?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"You just said you wanted him as your first. That kind of implies there will be a second guy, Gin."

"Hadn't thought of that," the redhead muttered in a panic.

"Well Harry thought of it," Hermione contended. "Imagine how it would feel if he looked at you and said, 'Gin I want you to be the first girl I marry.' Would that sound like he thought there would be another girl down the road."

"No wonder he got so upset," Ginny groaned thumping her head against the wall.

"Ginny… I don't think you realize but Harry is playing for keeps here. Once he admitted he loved you (out loud to your face) that was the biggest commitment he's made in his life. He loves Ron and me without a doubt, and while he'll always be there for us we can't compete with the commitment and connection he has with you."

"See that's the part I honestly don't get. He mentioned writing my father but then never brought it up again. It's almost as if now that he understands what's going on with Draco he doesn't feel so insecure anymore. Once that insecurity went away so did his need to be completely committed to me."

Hermione took a deep breath as well as a big risk, "You love Harry yes?" Ginny nodded. "Can you see a future with someone else? Can you see life going on if he weren't around?"

"I don't understand."

"Lets try this another way… If you knew for certain that you were destined to be with Harry would that freak you out because of how old you are or would you give yourself to him with great abandon?" Hermione asked plainly.

Ginny thought a moment, "My parents got married right after leaving school and had Bill right after that…they weren't even twenty yet."

"So…"

"I guess it doesn't bother me if that's what you're asking."

Hermione looked her friend over, "But would you feel like you had a choice or would you come to resent the fact that you knew your destiny and therefore didn't get a chance to exercise your free will."

Ginny started to consider what was being said to her. _Does Harry know something I don't? Does he fear I would abandon him?_ By evidence in the basement of the tower that seemed likely. _Did he see me leave him in the future? _

"When did Harry see the future?" Ginny asked softly.

"Several months ago...the end of last year. Around the time he ran from you," Hermione stated honestly.

"What caused it?" the redhead asked.

"You kissed his scar."

"I see." Ginny started to leave the room.

"Where are you off to?" Hermione asked already knowing the answer.

"To find my future husband," she said matter-of-factly.

Hermione just smiled.

TBC...

Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW. Please REVIEW.


	17. Facing the future

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Okay folks, we're getting to the end of our series. I would really like it if you guys would drop me a line about my chapters...I like feedback of all kinds. I like to improve my writing and the only way I can do that is if I get a response...Please respond.

PLEASE READ: I have given Harry a non-Cannon piece of jewelry so just go with it.

**17. Facing the future**

Harry waited patiently for Hermione the basement of the tower where he had met her earlier since she always studied there on Saturdays. Pacing about he ran through all the possible ways Ginny's 'I want you to be my first' comment could be taken and he always came back to the word 'first'. If anything it showed him she didn't have confidence that they would be together in the future. He had his mother's ring in his pocket always... waiting for the 'right' moment, but it didn't come. Now he wasn't sure it was supposed to.

"Trust her Harry," his mother's voice came ethereally from nowhere in particular. Harry settled his head in his hands. "I am serious Harry James...you have to trust her."

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm in the locket around your neck like I always am," Lily answered. "Take it off and make the locket life size."

Harry removed the pendent, opened to his mother's image, and made it large. "That's pretty handy," Harry stated.

"Well it will be even more handy after you get engaged and your father has his sex talk with you," Lily contended.

Harry chuckled a bit then became serious, "She doesn't think we're gonna make it."

"That is what you think she means...you haven't talked it through with her so you don't know," his mother stated simply.

"How can what she said be taken any other way?"

"What did she say Harry?"

"She said she wanted me to be her first."

Lily shook her head, "You ever consider the fact that she just meant what she said...no other motives or implications. Ginny just told you she wanted to lose her virginity to you. No comment on the future...Simply the truth."

"If there is a first then it implies there is a second," Harry fumed.

"Or there is a first and an only," she answered. "Listen to me kid. I didn't send you visions of a random girl you were dating to get your hopes up. I sent you a sincere possibility. Don't doubt her...don't doubt me."

Harry looked at his mother one last time, "I love you."

"I love you too," Lils said as Harry shrunk her back to size and refastened the necklace about his throat.

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Ginny observed Harry for a time pacing and muttering before sitting down again with his head in his hands. He still expected Hermione to call or come by so he was a bit startled when Ginny walked in. "Hey handsome."

"Ginny." Harry went to get up.

"No…stay. You're fine. I'll talk. You listen…okay?"

"Why?" he questioned.

"Ach...no talking," she muttered.

Harry nodded.

"When I was eleven years old you saved my life. You risked life and limb to save me. And it rightly nearly cost you your life. It was only natural for me to have a bit of hero worship. It was a crush for a long while. Until the day I realized I was just Ron's little sister to you and that was all I was ever going to be."

Harry opened his mouth to say something.

"Ach…I'm not done," Gin commanded.

Harry smiled, "Yes ma'am."

Ginny smirked, "You came to our home in the summer and I learned a ton about you but still I was just a Weasley…not a word from you…" Harry nodded raising his hands in defense. "This is when the story changes so pay attention," she admonished, "I had the realization when I was thirteen that I liked you, not the boy who lived, not the great Harry Potter, not my savior. I liked you…the boy who would sit at my kitchen table and smile at me first thing in the morning like I was supposed to be there next to him."

Ginny took a deep breath, "I realized my fourth year that I had a vague connection with you that seemed to afford me the sense of where you were. I never mentioned it to anyone because it seemed dumb."

Harry looked at her confusedly, which caused her to smirk. "I don't have one of those handy little maps Harry, yet I can always find you. Why is that?"

Harry stared at her, "What do you mean?"

Ginny sat down beside him, "You were right in saying we were bonded down in the Chamber. How I'm not entirely sure. However I know I can feel you. Hell I even knew you were in the room when you had your invisibility cloak on...I can feel you...I can feel where you are and in what direction I need to go to find you. Since we have been together there has never been a day that when you were hurt or hiding I didn't come find you."

He blinked a few times in realization. Harry just naturally assumed that Ginny would find him in those situations. That given enough time she would always come in at just the right moment. "You can feel me?"

Ginny nodded. "I always took it as a sign that we were supposed to be together. It never occurred to me otherwise."

Harry's brow wrinkled, "Then why did you say you wanted me to be your first?"

Ginny shook her head, "Harry this is the wizarding world. Most people fall in love at school and get married. It is very rare otherwise. We are into your seventh year and my sixth. That means that this is the only year I get to have you close before your destiny takes over. I know you come from the muggle world where they do things differently… you are trapped by so many things that you can't control that you have no choice over…I just didn't want you to feel being with me was one of them."

"You were afraid if you told me that you could feel me and where I was...that we were bonded that you would run me off?"

"Not run you off, just take away another choice of yours…another avenue. So much of your future was written on Halloween when you were fifteen months old. I didn't want to add to that sense of limitation."

She paused again, "Saying I wanted you to be my first was more a statement of desire for you to be the person I give my virginity to than anything else. I know you never want to push our physical relationship and I love you for that...so I wanted you to know I was okay. I was ready...I trusted you. I figured we would figure out the future stuff as it became present."

Harry laughed softly, and then laughed some more, louder this time.

"What's so funny?" Ginny asked almost annoyed at his response.

Harry reached over and settled Ginny in his lap intertwining their fingers. "Trust me?"

"Always," she whispered.

"Do that thing to my scar with your tongue that I asked you to stop doing because it was too intense…then kiss the scar."

"Harry I really don't want to have sex in the basement of the tower."

"No…I just want to show you…Oh…I see your point," he murmured softly.

"Yeah," she contended.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

"One little semantic thing?" Harry stated calmly.

"What's that?" Gin answered from his lap.

"Can you stop calling it sex? I don't want to have sex with you. I want to make love to you."

A small smile spread across her face. "Yes sir."

A/N: Yes they are going to have sex...two chapters from now...and the epilogue. Both will have the explicit versions on my website.

Now class...your response has been somewhat lacking in enthusiasm. So everyone repeat after me, I will REVIEW Joy's story so she can get better at writing. I will REVIEW Joy's story so she can get better at writing. Very good...now please follow through and press the little button.


	18. Reaching out & growing cold

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

PLEASE READ: If you didn't understand the 'kissing scar' reference from last chapter go back and read the last chapter of An Unwilling Damsel. For more of an explanation of what it is precisely it is read the 5th chapter of Summer of Discovery.

A/N: For all of you that wanted some grand romantic proposal...Sorry...it ain't gonna happen that way. Some times necessity is the mother of invention so you will have to deal with a lack of romance...Harry will make it up to her, I promise.

**18. Reaching out and growing cold**

The call of Draco's impending 'doom' came to Ginny in the wee hours of the morning through Professor McGonagall who was not very pleased to find the young Miss Weasley in bed with Head boy Harry Potter. All embarrassment aside Ginny was frustrated that she had not gotten to see Draco before he left and all she could do was wait.

Harry held Ginny's hand caressing her ring finger while waiting for news. Snape was at the 'ceremony' too...as sort of as back up. As the time of the ceremony had approached Snape had pulled Draco from his classes to privately make sure Draco's Occlumency was in order to prevent old Volde from getting wind of their plan accidentally. Snape had continued to show himself to be an honorable man by Draco. In private moments Draco would admit to Hope that Snape was becoming the father he never had. Snape went out of his way to ensure Draco's safety...things neither of his parents had ever bothered with.

Ginny leaned her head against Harry's shoulder concentrating as hard as she could on the residual magic she had with Voldemort. She was going to have to combat his magic soon and she needed to be prepared. All of her energy went into reaching out with her mind to her long dead 'friend'...unfortunately, he felt it.

Suddenly the whisper in her mind became focused. "_Are you missing me Ginevra?"_ his snake voice hissed.

"_Yes, Tom,_" she muttered back.

"_You are keeping Potter cozy these days."_

_"I miss being close to someone so powerful," _she answered him.

Gin felt his arrogance grow. _"You have been reaching out to me little one."_

_"Yes...I miss you."_

"_As I told you that you always would... I have a new follower, pretty one," _Tom teased. "_You have been playing with him...I can feel it."_

_"Do you really mind?"_ Ginny was doing her best to keep her real thoughts at bay as she had been taught.

"_No child I don't... He will be at school, totally mine. You can play with him as much as you want."_

_"Thank you Tom," _she responded.

"_I will talk to you soon...pretty one."_

And then the connection was broken.

"GINNY!" Harry yelled at her prone body as her nose began to bleed again.

"Harry," she whispered looking up at her true love while surrounded by Madame Pomfry, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hope.

"What happened, Potter?" Poppy asked.

"She was stretching her magic and suddenly she went slack in my arms. I couldn't wake her... that's when I called you."

"It was him," Gin whispered.

"Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked.

"No...Tom," the youngest Weasley whispered. "I believe I convinced him that the reason he had been feeling me more was because I missed him. He's done with Draco. I should be able to touch the mark with little problem. Tom sort of _gave_ Draco to me it seems."

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Poppy called Dumbledore to come quickly out of fear of the developments... The most obvious one was Ginny was steadily growing colder. Albus soon formulated that with an actual communication between Ginny and Riddle that he had reconnected with her some how. For Gin's part she felt the dark place inside her growing again, but this time Harry was there to anchor her. She knew Tom could not envelop her as long as her heart belonged to Harry.

As Ginny lay in a hospital wing bed, she caressed Harry's jaw with her cold fingers. Harry decided that there was too much at stake to wait any longer. He needed to know she was his...not as a jealous boyfriend but as a love.

It suddenly clicked in his mind what happened between he and Ginny in the Chamber all those years ago. There was a mystical bond between Gin and Tom...Tom was gaining strength and life from her. He owned her...body, mind, and soul. Tom always knew where Gin was, what she was doing, how she was feeling. Once Harry stabbed that bloody journal the connection was disrupted...but not severed. In light of their relationship it seemed the bond passed to Harry rather than be broken...now while it was true that as a living being Tom did have some connection with Ginny he no longer knew her as he had...as opposed to Gin who seemed to be able to feel Harry's pain at moments.

Harry clasped her hand in his and retrieved the tiny envelope from his pocket. "I have something I want to give you," he whispered to her

"You give me so much all the time...my birthday was..." she muttered as he interrupted her placing one elegant finger to her lips.

"Gin...let me do this," Harry insisted taking her hands in his.

"Alright Harry."

He unclasped the button on the sleeve and unfolded Ginny's hand. A diamond ring slid into Ginny's palm with no preamble at all. "It belonged to my mother," he whispered. "Remus kept it for me... I want you to wear it."

"Harry...you don't have..."

"Ginevra, I want you to be my wife. I know we're young. I know its probably foolish and selfish but I don't really care. I love you...completely. You make my life worth living. I don't want you to go anywhere without me anymore...I want you at my side always. I have asked your father's permission...he's granted it... I just need to know...do you want to be Mrs. Potter?"

Ginny cried softly and nodded her head, "More than anything."

Harry nodded swallowing slowly before taking the ring and slipping it on her finger and kissing her lightly. "Good...no one else should have the job."

"Well that's a relief," she teased even as heat began to once again infuse her body.

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Draco returned to the castle in extreme pain and a foul mood. He had pledged himself to a complete wanker he hated in order to save his own neck...he supposed that was true of all those that served Tommy Boy in one way form or fashion.

Snape ushered Draco to the hospital wing quickly to have the spell preformed as soon as possible. The blond didn't care at the moment one way or another. At least he didn't, until he saw Hope. She went to hug him and physically couldn't make it into his arms. The closer she came to him the louder the voice in her head became until all she could hear was screaming. Out of nowhere she dropped to her knees as items flew off of the shelves and counters of their own accord.

"Hope," Draco whispered his heart breaking.

"Do the spell...call me when its done...I...won't...be able...to stay..." she groaned clutching her head. Draco felt a wave of despair wash over him until she spoke again. "I...love you...Draco Malfoy... Come back...to me...soon."

"I love you too," he answered and watched her scramble from the room.

"Lets get this done," he muttered to Snape.

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An hour later, the hospital wing was in shambles...broken potion bottles on the floor, books strewn, and furniture on its side. House elves busied themselves cleaning the area merrily. Harry clutched his fiancé's hand as she lay unconscious in the hospital bed while Hope stroked Draco's brow whispered to him to wake up. Poppy was not pleased at all. She disliked this turn of events greatly.

Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall spoke animatedly about the proper course of action. Poppy believed the proper course of action was having the three Professors heads examined. Two students unconscious because of a spell was not good...even if it was He-who-must-not-be-named's fault.

It had started simply. Ginny deliberately avoided the whole engagement thing (which meant taking off the ring) once she saw Draco so it wouldn't enter her mind while performing the spell...as a result she started to freeze again. The spell itself wasn't the problem. Ginny had no power shortage. She performed the spell to perfection... It was Tommy Boy's mind screw that was the problem.

Riddle took the spell not as a sign of affection for him but for Draco on Ginny's part. A strange rage bled into Ginny, Draco, and Harry from Voldemort... It seemed that Tom was jealous of Draco. Ginny had belonged to him and now she didn't. Ginny wasn't running to Tom but to Draco. Tom punished Draco for being 'close' to Gin, Gin was punished for being 'close' to Draco and Harry was just along for the ride.

Once the connection was successfully severed Harry put the ring back on Gin's finger and she began to warm up again...but it didn't wake her.

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Eventually Hope looked to Harry and said in a flat voice, "I know how we can beat him... Draco showed be accidentally...but its highly likely we will be back in this positions again."

Harry tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Hope cleared her throat, "What does Riddle do best?"

"Be the bane of my existence," he answered off hand.

She shook her head, "No...he messes with people's minds."

"Right...so..."

"He felt me through the link to Draco...I slipped right into him without thought. It drove him nuts. He was clawing at his own mind to get me out... His worst fear is to be controlled the way he controls others."

"I don't think I can withstand a physical battle and also a mental one."

"I know... That's why you will attack him in a duel with Hermione and Ron guarding your back. Ginny will attack his mind with me feeding her power and Draco guarding our backs."

Harry shook his head animatedly, "No...I am not risking her like that."

Hope stared at her friend, "Like what? You would prefer she be out in the battlefield with wand drawn?"

"I would prefer her in a tower away from the violence."

The blond approached Harry in a very serious manner, "This is why the three of us were put together Harry. We can do this. We can survive this... Everything we have gone through together has been leading up to the war. We finally have something that can really cripple him on a grand scale. Ginny doesn't particularly want you to walk up to old snake eyes wand ready but she knows this is your destiny. Well this is Gin's destiny...to be a conduit. Let her do this. She knows him better than any person alive. She can press all the right buttons and he won't be able to stop her...because she's his Ginny... Don't take revenge for her; let her take it herself. What an amazing sense of retribution...to screw with his head after the way he screwed with hers?"

Harry gazed at his bride and knew Hope was not only right, but had the plan they had been looking for.

"I want to talk to Gin before I agree to anything."

"Wise decision...that will serve you well in marriage."

Harry smiled softly, "Yeah...I noticed you are wearing Draco's family crest their on your finger."

Hope blushed, "We're not as far along as you and Gin, but we're getting there."

"That's as it should be."

A/N: I promise to give you your big romance / smut soon...very soon.

Now you know what I want...REVIEW, please. REVIEW, please. Thank you and have a nice day.


	19. Giving a good story

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

PLEASE READ: Sorry for the slowness guys. Family stuff has popped up and life has not been good. I was pretty disappointed with the lack of reviews...but next chapter you get your sex scene. Depending on how graphic I make it some of it may get posted on my livejournal.

**19. Giving a good story**

Harry knew his proposal left a lot to be desired. Girls like big romantic gestures or at least a good story to tell. All Ginny could really say was Harry proposed while she lay in the hospital wing and it saved her from Tom...again. He didn't even get on one knee.

Ginny got out of the hospital wing rather weak at first. There was much buzz over the diamond ring she now sported but she was too tired to care. It took a little over a week for Gin to regain her strength but once she did she too felt Harry's proposal as lacking. Hermione and Hope ironically enough worked together to put a positive spin on the whole thing, while Ron didn't understand what the big deal was. Everyone knew Harry and Ginny would marry, so now she was just wearing the ring. Draco however took a proactive approach to the whole thing.

"Here," the blond Slytherin said and pushed an antique key into Harry's hand.

Harry felt some sort of magic in the key its self. "What is this?" he asked.

"That is the key of Fable."

"Okay...What is the key of Fable?"

Draco stared a minute, "I swear sometimes you and I go to two different schools."

"D...help me out here, 'cause I feel like I am missing some vowels," Harry complained with a sigh.

Draco took back the key and stuck it in the broom closet's lock that stood next to them. He opened the door and it wasn't a closet on the other side but a fancy bedroom with a king size canopy bed with gauze curtains framing it. Draco shut the door and walked a few doors down to a classroom. Once again he put the key in that door's lock and opened it. The same room appeared on the other side. He turned to Harry, "This is the floating room of Sanctuary. The only way in is by the key of Fable. I am giving this to you on loan so you can make it up to Ginny that your proposal was a bit...flimsy. Besides I know from discussions with Hope and Gin had thought that she would give you her virginity when you gave her an engagement ring."

Harry's eyes went big, "She did."

"Oh Merlin...its true? You and Ginny are all over each other all the time...How the hell have you not taken her virginity yet?" Draco chastised.

Harry looked put out, "Not that it is any of your concern but I wanted there to be a true commitment between us before we added sex to the mix. I would have been fine waiting until marriage if that's what she wanted."

"Well she wants you to pop her cherry."

"Thank you for the visual."

"Look...just set up the room the way you want it on Friday afternoon. I'll swing it that it appears that you and Gin have left for the weekend. You two will spend your time here and then return Sunday night," Draco stated.

"How can we stay? We need access to food, drink, and facilities," Harry snipped.

Draco motioned Harry over to a table along the back wall of the Room of Sanctuary. "Food and Drink," he said in a commanding voice and soon food and drink appeared. He then nudged Harry to a wall on the opposite side of the room. There was a box shape on the door at eye level. Draco raised his hand and placed it on the box...and the door melted away to reveal a bathroom only slightly less grand then the prefect's bathroom. It was smaller...more romantic.

"Why is this place here?" Harry asked suddenly.

Draco shrugged, "I had always heard it was for guests or secret get-aways...the last is partially true."

"How so?"

"If you haven't noticed the castle is...well...sort of alive... It seems early in the founding of the school there was a very young professor that fell in love with one of his students. He knew the relationship would be frowned upon so he married the girl quietly. One day he and his bride were about to fool around in his room when the key appeared magically. Apparently Ravenclaw had bewitched all of the Professor's rooms to sense...relations shall we say. Anyway, they used the key and the room appeared. I bet it's not even on your map," Draco said with a smirk.

"How?"

"The Marauder's Map is legendary. I was quite jealous to discover your father was one of them... But back to the matter at hand. You need to think of something romantic, something sexy, and something showing your commitment to make this work."

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Harry sighed and flopped back on his bed. It was moments like these that he wished his dad were alive. He then sat up and shook his head. "I have the next best thing. What am I grumbling about?" Harry mused to himself.

"Dad...Dad..." Harry said to one of his photos.

James' face turned to him with a small smirk, "Yes my boy."

"Ginny and I have gotten engaged."

"So I have heard rumblings...Not the most romantic of methods...You need to make that up to her."

Harry ran his hand through his hair just as his father always did. "I know. Draco is helping me out believe it or not. I have a magical room at the school lined up for the weekend."

"The Room of Requirements?"

"The Room of Sanctuary."

James smirked, "I thought that place was a myth the Slytherins made up."

"Nope...anyway, this is going to the be...well we're planning to..."

"Out with it Harry."

"I'm gonna lose my virginity this weekend."

James nodded his head, "Okay...that seems rational. You managed to say it out loud which is progress. Now I know your mother has gone over a lot of this stuff with you but..." He sighed, "Harry when I lost my virginity it was just some girl and I wanted the experience. This is different. With Lil I knew what I was doing...which was good and bad at once."

"How so?" Harry asked.

James shrugged, "Well I knew that I needed to be gentle and not overexcited. I knew that I really needed to be sure that Lil's body was ready to accept me before I took her virginity so she wasn't in so much pain and she could enjoy some of it. The bad side was Lily was insecure about all the girls that came before her...if I would compare, would I think someone else was prettier or better. You are really fortunate to be with the person you are going to be with always. There won't be any of those fears... But son you have to put her first or you will kick yourself later."

Harry smirked, "You and Sirius compared who got the most girls off, didn't you?"

"That is beside the point."

Harry laughed and continued to listen to his father as he thought how thankful he was for these moments he was allowed.

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Friday after noon rolled around and Gin was done with classes when Professor McGonagall came up to her in the hall. "Miss Weasley...I realize with the responsibility facing you and Potter it is natural for you to form such a commitment to one another even at this young age. While I understand the reasoning I am very hesitant to allow you and Mr. Potter off campus this weekend."

Ginny listened carefully and decided not to contradict her.

"Therefore I am giving you this for the trip," McGonagall announced handing her a potion bottle.

"What is this Professor?" the redhead asked quietly.

"Insurance that I will not be interrupted in class next year by a screaming infant."

"Professor?"

"That, Ginevra, is the strongest protection potion there is. I suggest you duplicate it multiple times...and save the original for future multiplications. While I know you are both responsible individuals I am not naïve enough to believe that you will refrain from carnal delights given the opportunity. Take the potion as soon as you have made enough copies for the weekend and then meet Mr. Potter... And for Merlin sake make him take care of you. I don't want you walking funny when you return." With that Professor McGonagall walked briskly away only to reveal a laughing Hope behind her.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked her friend.

Hope had a huge smile on her face, "You, my dear, are getting a weekend alone with your fiancé and I have been assured that this weekend will make up for the lameness of your engagement."

"Really?"

"Yes...now Hermione and I have already packed a bag for you. I'll help you make copies of the potion and get you ready...I would wear something naughty under that uniform."

Ginny grinned, "That I can do."

TBC...

A/N: Please REVIEW. I have had a really hard week and it would mean so much.


	20. Intimacy

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

PLEASE READ: Sorry for the slowness guys. Family stuff is still not of the good. PLUS I wanted to give everyone a chance to read the new book. Anyway, here is the chapter you have all been waiting for. Depending on how graphic you feel this is, I may move some of it to be posted on my livejournal.

**20. Intimacy**

"Hello...Harry?" Gin called as she opened the door to the Room of Sanctuary with the magical key. "Are you here?"

She dropped her bag by the bed and immediately was drawn to a full-length mirror. It was very ornate and was amazingly crafted wood frame. On closer examination the edge was a series of pictures that depicted Harry and Ginny's story together. There was their King's Crossing meeting, his arrival at the Borrow, that god awful valentine, the Chamber of Secrets, and so on...right up to Gin lying in the hospital bed receiving her ring. Each image was charmed to move slightly in action as it was examined. The first was ten year old Ginny waving and the last was Harry slipping the ring on Gin's finger. Suddenly the engagement didn't seem so lack luster in conjunction with their whole story.

Ginny knew Harry was in the room under his cloak somewhere. She could feel him, but she knew he would emerge when ready. Until that time she decided to investigate her gift. Gin fixed her eyes on one of the less obvious moments of their courtship on the mirror. The night of their first kiss Harry had hidden under his cloak and watched her sleep. It suddenly dawned upon her that maybe the reason Harry had not come out was because of that little statement she made about watching her undress a while ago.

She smirked slightly standing before the mirror and she began to undress. First her tie, then the buttons on her shirt were undone. She heard a sucked breath and an audible groan as the shirt slid to the floor leaving her in her bra and skirt. She unzipped the skirt and shimmied it over her hips, leaving Harry panting behind her.

Ginny would not lose her confidence now when she could hear the state she had put him in even if she was slightly intimidated by everything. There she was in only a tiny lace white bra and a tiny g-string. (Over the summer, Hermione had taken her to a muggle store in London that specialized in making women's underwear as sexy as possible. Harry didn't know of course that the large sum of money that he had gotten her to get her self some 'pretty things' had gone to this endeavor. She had been saving it for situations like these.)

Harry was dying to touch her. He had never seen underwear like this before. Naturally he had seen some of Ginny's underwear over the last several months but nothing looked this...revealing. His body was responding so rapidly to the sight, he quickly muttered the words of the spell he and Ron had found to prevent popping off too soon. Harry had a feeling he would repeat the incantation throughout the night.

Ginny reached to slide the bra strap down his arm only to find that Harry was touch her shoulder. "Leave it on," he rasped in an arousal thick voice. He emerged from his cloak and her heart got stuck in her throat. No man should be allowed to look that sexy at seventeen.

Nothing else was said yet. Ginny just stood in front of the mirror as Harry toed off his shoes and socks, then slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Harry noticed how Ginny's eyes were fixated on his chest when he removed his shirt. She held her breath as his slacks slid down his hips but her small hand reached back to stop him from removing his boxers. "Leave them on," she whispered. Harry nodded once and moved in right behind her, running the palms of his hands lightly up and down the length of her arms.

They had seen each other naked. They had fulfilled each other's desires. But they both knew this was different. They were choosing to take the next physical step in their relationship and so they were both more hesitant.

Harry got down on one knee and said, "I realize this is truly after the fact but I wanted you to have this moment. So Ginevra Molly Weasley would you do me the honor of becoming Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter?"

"No."

"Excuse me?" he said in confusion.

"I will be happy to become Ginevra Molly Potter...I'm not doing the hyphen thing."

Harry laughed out right, got to his feet, and proceeded to spin Gin around in his arms. "Stop Harry. You're making me dizzy."

He set her down and took her hand leading her over to the bathroom.

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Harry raised Gin's hand to the door making it disappear. Ginny gasped in wonder. "This place is amazing," she whispered as Harry muttered a heating charm over the already filled tub. The tub was large enough for about ten people to fit into and was at least four and a half feet deep so there was room to frolic a bit. "Well milady? Are you going in?" Harry asked sweetly.

Ginny smirked, "Are you?" and then pushed Harry in, glasses and all. She hopped in right as Harry resurfaced so he would get splashed.

"That wasn't nice," Harry snipped as he wrapped his arms around his future bride. "But the water is making your bra transparent so it can't be all bad."

Ginny leaned into kiss Harry soundly even as his fingers undid her bra with now practiced ease. Without breaking the embrace, he slid the straps down her arms. Gin pulled away long enough to fling the offending garment to the side of the tub. "Have I mentioned recently how fond I am of your breasts," Harry murmured kissing Gin's neck while cupping the objects of his affection in hand.

"Not of late," Gin gasped as Harry lifted her gently, using the water for buoyancy, to bring her nipple to his lips. She keened as his teeth lightly scraped the sensitive skin.

Soon Gin's hands were running down Harry's back and into his shorts to squeeze his bum. Harry thrust forward into her unconsciously. Ginny decided to up the ante and pushed the boxers over his hips. Harry took the cue and removed Gin's panties in turn and soon they were wrapped around each other making out...skin to skin.

Some part of Harry's brain...actually it was James whispering from the locket around his son's neck...told him to be careful and back off so he could take care of Ginny. His head pulled back slightly. "We're getting a little ahead of ourselves. I...I...I need to...make you ready," he muttered looking into her eyes.

She nodded, "You're right. McGonagall would be pissed if I came back walking funny."

"McGonagall?" Harry said in fear.

Gin shrugged, "She knew what was going to happen. She gave be a very strong pregnancy prevention potion."

"I am going to pretend you didn't tell me that and get out of the tub."

"Alright," she said following him out.

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Ginny summoned the vials given to her by Angelina and Alicia at the end of the summer before she scooted onto the bed. Harry eyed her suspiciously. "What are those?"

She held up one with a green jelly like substance in it. "This you will use to open me up. It has a numbing agent in it so it won't hurt as bad to loose my virginity. We should use it for awhile." She then presented a vial with clear liquid in it. "This is lubricant for you...also to ensure comfort for me...and the other two are for later...when we're a bit more practiced," she said with a hint more humor. This made Harry relax a bit as she drew him down to her kissing some more.

When Harry started to rub up against her unconsciously Ginny grabbed for the numbing agent. "Harry...Put that on your fingers."

Harry nodded and proceeded to finger his girlfriend as he had before but this time it was to make room for him rather than to turn her on. He decided to try to do both.

Ginny gasped as Harry brought his face between her legs. "Ahhh...I love it when you do that," Gin groaned at him. "That jelly tingles...but don't get it on..."

"My mouth is there at the moment...and this stuff is supposed to make you numb. If I put it on your clit you would have a hard time cumming...and I for one love to listen to you cum," Harry growled is a possessive and sexy voice.

Ginny gripped the sheets only slightly aware they were silk. Harry was opening her up gently scissoring his fingers inside her to stretch her body to accommodate him. Gin winced a little for the third finger but Harry added more jelly to right where her body was stretching the most. When Ginny started to rock again Harry added one fingertip of light pressure with the jelly. He continued with that pressure even as Gin had an orgasm singing beautifully for him. Harry felt her squeeze around his fingers and become even slicker. He bit his lip trying to avoid all thoughts of what it would feel like to have Ginny orgasm around him.

Gin huffed and gasped as Harry kissed around her stomach to help sooth her trembling body, but left his fingers inside her to keep her open. "That felt great," Gin cooed petting Harry's hair.

"I'm glad," he murmured.

Ginny urged Harry upwards causing him to withdraw his hand from her body. She took his hand and wiped it off with one of the towels from the bath before getting the lubricant. Harry threw his head back and groaned as Ginny's little hand coated him in the slick substance. It felt so good, but he knew he was already very excited.

Harry caught her wrist, "The first time is always short anyway. Lets not shorten it by getting me too aroused."

Gin giggle lightly as she lay back on the bed and pulled Harry on top of her. Both ideally wondered if Gin would freak out because of her assault but so far things were fine.

Harry settled between Ginny's open thighs and nestled against her. This wasn't a new position necessarily it was just the first time they both knew they were going to go further. Harry leaned down and kissed Gin trying to relax them both. Over and over they kissed, tongues mimicking what their bodies were about to do, rocking against one another.

Ginny was groaning as each time Harry's cock passed over her opening wondering if this time he would push in. Soon Ginny was raising her hips to meet Harry. This was what he had been waiting for, because on the next pass he bit Gin's shoulder rather roughly while pushed inside his future bride. She was so surprised at the pain in her shoulder; she all but missed the pain of losing her virginity.

"What...what was that?" Gin asked Harry as he held his body still so Gin could get used to him being inside her.

"That was something I read in the book I swiped from you this summer," Harry confessed. "It suggested causing pain somewhere unexpected to draw away from the area you expected to hurt."

Ginny pulled Harry closer as she kissed his lips, "You are amazing."

"No darling," he groaned, "you are amazing. You feel amazing."

With that Gin began to move below him, "And we haven't even really gotten started yet."

Harry slowly began to pump in and out of Ginny. He listened carefully to the auditory cues she gave him as to what felt good. "You okay Gin?" he panted even as the most amazing feeling of wet heat assaulted him. He had to resist the urge his father had told him he would have to just pump in abandon until he came.

Ginny moaned a little, "Fine...good...this feels so good."

"Even though..."

"Yes Harry...even though..." she murmured kissing his neck and shoulder. She was wiggling to get into a position that stimulated her clit better with little success. Harry tugged her hips higher and suddenly his pelvic bone was hitting her just right. Harry was rewarded for his effort with a deep moan.

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Harry was breathing heavily. He felt the tension curling in the back of his spine. Ginny was groaning too, thrashing a bit wanting that elusive feeling of completion.

Harry rolled over so Ginny was now on top. "Harry what are you…" she murmured obviously a bit self-conscious.

Harry intertwined one set of their fingers while tickling her clit with his other hand, still thrusting shallowly. "Taste my scar," he whispered.

Ginny seemed confused a moment then leaned forward tracing her tongue over the lighting bolt. Harry was holding on by a thread with or without the spell. Ginny's lips then pressed to the skin in a slightly sucking kiss and suddenly the world went away.

They both saw the flashing images. They both felt the overwhelming sense of wholeness and they both came.

Ginny gasped for air like her life depended on it. She saw what Harry had seen… life… their life. There was nothing terribly significant about the images other than the fact they were older and growing old together. Babies...Children...Teens...There was a family in their future.

The important thing was they had a future...together.

"We're gonna beat him Harry," Gin whispered snuggling into Harry's chest.

"Yes, my love, we are," he responded kissing her head. "We'll have our happily ever after."

"Good...cause I want those kids."

"Me too."

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A/N: Okay folks. Next chapter is the finale...the epilogue. The one thing I need to know from you guys is if you want a flashback to the defeat of Voldemort or not. You guys haven't exactly been enthused by the 'Project' work so I could just forego the topic and just deal with Harry and Ginny's future. Also let me know if this was too risqué for FFN.

So class. Repeat after me...I will REVIEW and let Joy know about Voldemort, smuttiness, and generally how she is doing. I will REVIEW and let Joy know about Voldemort, smuttiness, and generally how she is doing.

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	21. Epilogue

Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

PLEASE READ: This is it. It's over. It's done. This is the end. It has taken over a year and two sequels but this is the last chapter. To read the whole thing go to my weblink from my author's page on this site. BUT PLEASE **REVIEW** HERE.

**21.The epilogue**

When the final battle came Ginny, Harry, Draco, Hope, Hermione, and Ron all played their own parts. Ironically enough each other couple took a page from Ginny and Harry by getting engaged themselves. Ron and Draco still didn't really speak to one another but it wasn't like they really needed to. Hermione and Ron were Harry's best friends and stood with him. Draco and Hope were Ginny's best friends and stood with her. Looking back it was plain to see Voldemort never stood a chance against the six.

It was these thoughts that led Harry to pull his old school trunk out to be gone through. He loved looking back at life now that he was settled. He got a wicked look on his face when he removed one box from the trunk. He muttered a specialized incantation over it so that it would open to him and him alone...very important when one has children.

Harry shut his eyes smirking to himself as he touched the bits of lace from his 'naughty' box. His old school truck had become in Ginny's affectionate term his memory trunk. "The thing has everything in it. I swear he is trying to make up for the lack of happy memories of his childhood by storing tons of odd bits of life in that thing!" Not that she actually minded it was just something cute about Harry she learnt to love about him.

In the trunk there was a box of memories of Hogwarts, one for quidditch, one for adventures, and several dedicated to Ginny. Now she made him move and shrink the things he saved for each of their children's childhoods. He saved almost everything and made tons of 'videos' for each child. The Weasley fertility had carried on into the Potter household by blessing young and newly married Harry and Ginny with a set of twins Samantha & James and then as a bonus surprise was followed by a second set of twins Lily & Jonathan a couple years later.

Samantha at the age of eleven she looked fourteen, at fourteen she looked eighteen, and by sixteen she was every guys fantasy much to the chagrin of her father. Now at the whopping age of nineteen Sam had her father's dark hair and green eyes. Her career at Hogwarts was filled with of the staff's reverence and lots of whispers about being Harry Potter's child. Luckily she had her mother's backbone and took whatever was thrown. The oldest and natural leader she helmed the Potter clan (all Gryffindors naturally) through school.

James had his mischief making genes fall from both sides of his family so all the Hogwarts staff lived in fear the entire time he went to the school. After James charmed hundreds of mice to drop from the Great Hall's ceiling with mini parachutes on he became the undisputed champ of the family for hysterical pranks. Anyone that could get Snape to squirm over being inundated with small creatures definitely took the prize. James was the spitting image of his father and grandfather but bore the Weasley hair. Lucky for him it was a dark shade of auburn rather than the bright red his little sister Lily grew up with.

Lily in some ways should have been Hermione and Ron's daughter. She held a fiery temper that would explode with little provocation, though the rest of the time her nose was in a book. Lily looked like her mother and paternal grandmother. She enjoyed feeling herself more a Weasley since of the Potter children she resented the media attention the most. Lily had informed her parents before she got on the Hogwarts Express for the final time that she wanted to go to America for a time and live among the muggles...do something without her twin for a change.

Jon, brown eyed with hair match his eldest sister and father, was thrilled with the news since he wanted to be free to pursue his dream as the Chuddley Cannons seeker...who had actually been courting him quietly for a season. Like his father Jon had become a Gryffindor seeker his first year and played all the way through school. His uncle Ron encouraged him a great deal since Ron's own sons Jason, Luke, Taylor, and Will had their mother's taste for the sport– utter distain. They all played because they were Weasley's and they were all quite good. However if given the choice they preferred novels to broomsticks much to Ron's frustration.

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Now that James & Sam were out of the house pursuing their own lives and Lily & Jon were packed off at Hogwarts for their last year Harry was taking stock of his life and felt like a trip down memory lane. He was still smirking when Ginny arrived behind him.

"And what Mr. Potter are you doing?" she enquired.

Harry lifted the g-string panties he had been playing with on one finger. Ginny never did completely master the ability to not blush.

"Do you know what these are?" Harry asked with a predatory gleam in his eye.

"Not really. I'm sure it has something to do with the box marked 'Naughty' that all of our children as well as myself have tried to break into it. Hell I even had Hermione try once," Ginny said confidently walking to her husband, not allowing the look in his eye get to her.

The boy who lived, the teen that defeated Voldemort, and the man that locked away all of the Deatheaters swung the panties around his finger. "These dear Gin," he whispered seductively moving into his wife's personal space, "...are the panties you wore the first time we made love." Harry breathed on her face before kissing her jaw.

"But I have those panties," Ginny confessed tilting her head back and pulling him closer to her.

Harry picked his wife up and laid her down on their bed. "Actually sweetheart you have a duplicate pair I made. I have the originals." He was steadily kissing her and stripping her all the while he was talking. "I have quite a few items that way."

"Oh yeah?" Ginny gasped as Harry's lips sucked at her breast while undoing her skirt and sliding it off her hips. "What's come over you?" she muttered as they finished undressing one another with the practiced ease.

Bright green eyes met chocolate brown eyes, laying his head comfortably pillowed on her breast. "Last night we were talking...just talking...side by side. You were whispering to me about how proud you were of me...of how proud you had always been of me. I kept feeling like I had had that conversation with you before...de jà vu. It didn't hit me until I started going through this that I had heard that before. These were the dreams of the future my mother sent to me to give me something to fight for... You are my inspiration. You always have been."

"Oh Harry," she whispered letting happy tears trace down her face. Harry of course was there to prevent said tears from getting into her ears...after years of being together you knew little things like how much your partner hated tears in her ears.

Harry kissed Ginny softly before leaning over the side of the bed, grabbing his 'naughty' box, and handing it to Gin. "Have a look," he said tracing kisses down her tummy over her hip and down her leg.

"You want me to concentrate on this dumb box while you're seducing me?"

"Just look inside luv."

Harry continued to kiss her everywhere but where Ginny wanted him to while she looked through the box. There were pictures of her that for some reason she let Harry take of her in the nude as well as some less risqué pictures but hot nonetheless. There were _lots_ of pairs of knickers, negligees, and teddies. "I have the copies of all of these."

"Yep... I have them charmed so when I touch them I see the memory I associate with them," he said as he kissed his wife's ankle.

Ginny snatched it out of his grasp, "Why didn't I know about this?"

He smirked, "Jealous of yourself?"

Gin sighed, "Slightly...I doubt you have anything of late in here."

"Pick up the green knickers," he mumbled from her hip before moving between her thighs. Ginny held the silky material, shut her eyes and gasped a few times... partially because of the dream and partially because of the things Harry's tongue was doing. This continued for a while.

"That's...that's how I look...when I..." she whispered. "You really are quite good at that luv," she praised drawing her legs up to expose herself more to his ministrations.

"That was the afternoon that we sent the kids for the last time to Hogwarts... about two weeks ago. And yes that is how you look when you cum... It is still the sweetest thing I have ever heard... the song you sing me when I give you pleasure," Harry stated kissing Ginny's hot little quim as he spoke before kissing Ginny's mouth so she could taste herself on his lips.

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In a startling move Gin rolled them over, putting herself on top. She let her sex glide over his cock in the most delicious ways causing Harry to sing for her while his thumb rubbed her in just the right way. Ginny leaned down and sucked at his ear before whispering, "I want to play a game."

"What game is that luv?" Harry panted.

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"Oh god...oh god," Gin began to pant.

"Ya, sweetheart...sing for me," Harry grunted.

"Yes...yesyesyes...right there right there...Harry...oh Harry..."

"Gin...Gin...God you feel..."

"YesYesYESYES!" Ginny shouted her whole body shaking.

"Agh...agh..." Harry grunted and groaned.

Ginny whispered, "Open your eyes," as she raked her fingernails down his back. Harry's green glowed was lust as Gin squeeze him internally, "Cum for me."

"GIN!" he growled before biting her none too softly on the neck. Harry's body slammed into her one last time before spending himself.

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"Oh...wow..." Harry groan rolling to his side settling his wife next to him. "I need your knickers," he stated matter-of-factly.

Ginny smiled and kissed his chest. "Not a problem." She nuzzled the side of Harry's neck kissing along his jaw. "This is probably the best time to tell you that the reason Lily really wants to go to America."

"And why is that?" he asked not really paying attention.

"It's because Emil is there," she replied.

"Emil...as in Emil Malfoy... as in the grandson of Lucius Malfoy," Harry said aghast looking at his wife.

"Emil Malfoy as in the son of Draco and Hope Malfoy...You remember them. They are some of our best friends."

"Your best friends."

"Harry."

"What? I have come to trust him but they have been dark wizards for..."

"So had Sirius's family... If you recall you taught Emil for a couple years at Hogwarts after the war. You worked with him a couple years ago...helped mentor him for Dumbledore. You were quite impressed with him. You made an effort not to do to him what Snape had done to you...Is this ringing any bells?" Ginny said petting his chest.

"But...but that was just...this is my baby girl!" Harry whined.

"Who is seventeen...same age I was when we got married."

"There was a war. We had a destiny to fulfill."

Gin shook her head, "She's in love. He's a good man. It's why he moved to America. He didn't want to cause problems. It broke Emil's heart but he left hoping that maybe Lils feelings were strong enough to overcome the distance, and separation, let alone your disapproval."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Harry fussed. "Why didn't I know Lily was this serious about some one?"

"You did...you just didn't know who the boy was. Lily always made it sound casual. She also made it sound like there had been a couple of guys. Emil is her pen-pal that you pick on her about."

"Lime...Lime is...Of course... Lime...Emil backwards. I was an investigator for a while there. How thick can I get," Harry huffed.

"Invite him for dinner without Lily. I want to talk man to man with him."

Ginny smirked, "He'll be here on Sunday to meet you properly...as will Chris Wood."

"I've met Chris... He's been seeing Sam for ye... Wait a minute."

Ginny began to roll away. Harry grabbed her round the middle, "Who said you could leave?"

"I did."

"Are you trying to tell me that two guys are coming over to ask for my daughters' hands in marriage..."

"No...Just Chris. Emil just wants you to be okay with Lily and him being together."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Is Draco happy about this?"

Ginny smirked, "Only so far as that he knows it will drive you crazy. It makes him feel a bit better after all the ribbing you gave him over the fact that his golden boy went to the Colonies and is living among muggles."

"Are they going to be living together?" Harry asked.

"No on paper, but we weren't living together your seventh year either." Harry groaned. Gin kissed him gently, "Oh just wait, James is working up the courage to talk to Sarah's father to marry her and Jon is having a great deal of trouble keeping his hands to himself with Finnigan's oldest daughter. I suggest making him a copy of 'the book' because I don't want the twins giving sex ed to all my children. It was bad enough with James. I thought for sure he was going to impregnate that little nit he was dating at the time...Lavender's daughter. Luckily you did manage to point out that he really didn't want to look back at his first time and regret it wasn't with someone he loved."

"How do you know all this?" Harry said with big eyes. "I never told you..."

"Cause I'm the mum," she said cheerfully and kissed his nose slithering out of his arms.

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Ginny came down to the kitchen in her bathrobe followed closely by Harry. There was a note sitting on the counter. Gin quickly scanned the contents and turned bright red. "What is it?" Harry asked. Ginny handed it to him and buried her head on his shoulder. It was Ron's handwriting.

_**Hey mate,**_

_**Just dropped by for lunch like we planned. **_

_**But you were...busy...shall we say. Ring the **_

_**house when you're done being busy. I guess **_

_**I learnt my lesson on entering when no one **_

_**answers the bell. **_

_**-Ron**_

_**PS Next time we have a 'guys' night you must**_

_**tell me how you were debouching my little**_

_**sister to make her make those noises.**_

_**Hermione has certainly never gotten that **_

_**excited over anything I've done. We had the **_

_**exact same education, so I know you are **_

_**holding out on me. **_

"I will never be able to look Ron in the eye again," Ginny murmured against Harry's neck.

"Don't worry luv. Think of it as helping Hermione out," he responded cockily.

"Oh you are not going to tell my brother anything!" she shouted.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Like you don't talk to Hermione."

"That's different."

"How?"

"It just is...we're women," Gin said lamely.

Harry smirked, "Now you know Ron and I have been talking since that summer. He just wrote that to tease you."

Ginny thumped down in a chair, "But he heard me..."

"Yeah...and you sound so good," he murmured snuggling up to her.

"This is not funny."

"Fine...fine...I'll charm your panties and you can give them to Hermione so we'll be even."

"EVEN! There is no even... Arghh."

Ginny stuck her head in the fireplace and called her brother, "Ronald Weasley, you answer right now!"

"Hey sis. Aren't you glowing?"

"That's right. I am. I am glowing because my husband gave me the best multiply orgasm of my life! And YOU are ruining it by teasing me. If you wanted a porno of Harry & I, we would have sold you seats or given you a memory cube! Does Hermione know about this voyeuristic side!" Ron looked completely freaked. "Oh for the love of... Ron you're nearly forty. Grow up!" With that she withdrew her head.

Harry was smirking at her, "Best orgasm ever?"

"Top ten," Ginny shrugged.

"You said best," Harry said pulling his wife to him, kissing her neck, and snaking a hand into her robe.

"Oh for...AGAIN!" Ron shouted from the fire. "Now that is a bit exhibitionistic wouldn't you say!"

"Go away Ron," Harry growled. "I'm about to debouch your sister again," he said kissing down her neck before getting on his knees.

"I HATE YOU!" Ron shouted and disappeared.

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Two hours later an owl arrived at Ron's side with a simple message. "**_Page 85 of the manual after diagram 12._**"

Ron went to his desk and opened his copy of the old book that Harry and Ron had swiped from the girls as teens. "Diagram 12... Well duh... that's a given. If I didn't do that my wife would have my head followed by my stones. Oral sex is expected... Now onto page 85... Wait...I remember this. That still doesn't look comfortable for a girl. Then again from the noises I heard..." He considered it a moment. "HERMIONE!" he called seductively. "I have a surprise for you!"

The End!

A/N: It's been a fun ride folks. This is your last chance so – REVIEW. Thanks for all your support. I have no idea what to write next.

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